<<Print>>Two of the three interchanges of the Kwame Nkrumah Circle flyover project have been inaugurated by President John Dramani Mahama. It signifies the completion of the first phase of the interchange project which is to help ease traffic congestion in one of the busiest areas of Accra. The Akasanoma Road that links the Nsawam Road, around the Vodafone building, and the other one which links the Nsawam Road to the Nkrumah Avenue, around the Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB) building, therefore opened to traffic on Friday afternoon after the inauguration by the President.
A third flyover under construction plus other works – a new statue of Ghana’s first President Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, a fountain and a police post, new lorry parks – among others, are expected to be completed and inaugurated before June 2016. “The opening of the road to traffic will bring considerable relief to commuters on the Nsawam – Accra corridor.
It will also enable the contractor to move some of the traffic onto the two flyovers and create space to concentrate on the rest of the works remaining to be done,” President Mahama said.
The President also announced that to further address the issue of congestion and improve the capacity of other roads in other parts of the city to take the growing traffic, the government was executing other road projects.
He mentioned the rehabilitation of the roads in the Accra East corridor. “The works are the widening of the Giffard Road from 37… to La Beach passing in front of Burma Camp and the Trade Fair. The others are the Burma Camp Road that links Spintex Road as well as the connection of the Burma Camp Road to the Teshie Tebibiiano and Teshie Link roads. This project is over 90 percent complete and in the next few weeks we’ll have the opportunity to commission it.”
Work on the third interchange, which will link Ring Road Central to Ring Road West, was far advanced.
Work on the loop, which would connect to the interchanges, was also near completion, according to the contractors.
The outstanding major work was the improvement of the other roads around the Kwame Nkrumah Circle.
Generally, the whole project was about 75 per cent complete according to the contractor.
The entire work is expected to be completed by the end of December, 2015, or the end of January, 2016.
President Mahama cut the sod for the construction of the three-tier interchange at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle in Accra in October, 2013.
The 74.88 million euro project is being jointly financed with credit from the Brazilian Government and the Ghana Government.
Aside from the three-tier interchange, other roads around the Kwame Nkrumah Circle will be improved. These include rehabilitation of the Ring Road East to the Feo Oyo Intersection on the Ring Road West.
The roads will be asphaltic concrete surfaced, with pedestrian walkways and bicycle paths.