BRT or road to danger?

When the Bus Rapid Transit project near the offices of the Graphic Communications Group Limited was conceived, it was sold as a means of easing traffic by getting busses to run on top of the edifice. The construction is nearing completion after almost three years of work.

At the moment, traffic has been allowed to use the top of the road in an effort, apparently as an experiment, to know how the project would operate after completion. The problem with what is on offer so far is that it looks too steep, instead of a gradual ascent to the top.

We do not claim to be civil engineers, neither are we architects, but our layman point of view is that the summit looks too steep and is likely to create a problem or two for especially trucks.

We are told that on Tuesday, an articulated truck heavily loaded with goods got stuck on the summit. It could not climb. Had the breaks also failed, the result would have been anybody’s guess.

We would like to believe engineers and architects could look at the project again and advice on the modifications to it before the contractor hands the project over. We do not believe the project is value for money. It also looks a bit dangerous for users of that portion of the road.

The fear is that a bus may one day fail to reach the summit and create a problem or two for everybody. Chronicle ace Cameraman Eric Owiredu used that portion of the road yesterday and captured the scene for the attention of the authorities concerned.

Short URL: http://thechronicle.com.gh/?p=48325