Two government officials through their respective social media platforms announced the commencement of work on the 30 km Kasoa-Winneba Junction Road and that of Adenta-Dodowa, which is 22km. Per the publications, the two roads will be dualised to help ease traffic and bring comfort to the commuters.
The Chronicle congratulates the government for raising funds to start the two major projects. The Kasoa-Winneba Junction road has become very notorious when it comes to traffic congestion. Due to the fact that it is the only road that links Cape Coast and Takoradi and beyond, vehicular traffic on it is always heavy, especially during the weekends, when people attend funerals and other social gatherings.
As a result of the frustration of staying in traffic for long hours, some of the drivers – both private and commercial – drive carelessly on the shoulders of the road and put the lives of pedestrians in danger. But can we blame these reckless drivers? The answer, we dare say, is no.
Per the constitution of Ghana, no one is above the law, but in most of the cases, government officials, especially those driving Land Cuiser vehicles illegally put on sirens for every driver to give them way. This conduct forces some of the drivers to also join in perpetrating the illegality, resulting in chaotic situations often witnessed on the road.
In the case of the Adenta-Dodowa road, the heavy traffic can be attributed to the population density and new settlements along the stretch. Following the re-construction of the Madina-Adenta-Aburi Highway, a lot people have moved to stay in that corridor. Whilst Adenta-Aburi road has been dualised, that of Adenta through Ashiyie to Dodowa is still a single lane. Any decision to dualise the road is, therefore, welcome.
Much as we appreciate government’s efforts we, however, do not think the dualisation of the above mentioned roads alone will automatically bring down the heavy vehicular traffic. When the construction of the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange at Circle was about to commence, the Engineers realised that upon completion, the heavy traffic will move to Obetsebi Lamptey Circle. The decision was, therefore, taken to construct another interchange at Obetsebi, which is still ongoing.
The same situation may apply on the Winneba Road. Upon completion, the traffic will move from Kasoa-Winneba to Weija-Kasoa. The Chronicle is, therefore, suggesting to the Ministry of Roads and Highways to start sourcing for funds to construct interchanges on the Mallam-Kasoa Highway.
Though the above mentioned highway had already been dualised, it is still experiencing heavy traffic due to a number of intersections. In our opinion, the only way to solve the problem is the construction of interchanges. Apart from this, sections of the road must also have flyovers to ensure easy flow of traffic, especially when it rains.
Here, we are referring to the old Weija Barrier and the section opposite the Weija Dam. We are sure the Ghana Highway Authority is aware that any time it rains these two sections on the Mallam-Kasoa road become impassable. The only way to solve the problem is to construct flyovers as has been done at the Old Peace FM on the Achimota-Nsawam road.
The Chronicle admits that the suggestions we are making involve money, but if this is the only way to deal effectively with the crazy traffic on the Accra-Winneba road, then we have no option than to look for the money. All the three major roads linking Accra to the rest of the country – Aflao, Cape Coast and Kumasi roads – are always choked with vehicular traffic due to so many intersections.
We need to, as a country, tackle the problem head-on, if we are to boost productivity. The long hours spent in traffic is slowing down our economic growth and the earlier we avert our minds to that, the better it will be for the country.
