Akufo-Addo sets up a Pokuase exchange at 4 levels; first of its kind in West Africa

Archive photo of the Pokuase interchange

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo commissioned the Four Tier Pokuase Interchange.

The interchange, the first of its kind in Ghana and West Africa and the second of its kind in Africa, was commissioned on Friday.

According to President Akufo-Addo, the completion of the interchange, which will resolve once and for all the nightmare endured for decades by commuters inside and outside Pokuase, was completed in 1930. six (36) months. , although in the midst of COVID-19.

The Pokuase interchange project involved the construction of the 6.5 kilometer road from Awoshie to Pokuase; an interchange at the intersection of the ACP junction with Awoshie Road in Nsawam; two (2) gateways; widening of the Nsawam road by approximately two (2) kilometers; drainage works; the supply of street lights; and the construction of twelve (12) kilometers of municipal roads.

It also involved the rehabilitation of the Kpobiman Women’s Group Center to train women in baking, bread, soap and bead making; the rehabilitation of the Manchie Gari factory for the transformation of cassava into gari and starch; the protection of the three (3) hectares of the sacred forest of Gua; and the provision of ICT laboratories for fourteen (14) basic schools, which will help train some ten thousand (10,000) basic schoolchildren in the municipalities of Ga North, South, Center and West, with knowledge in technologies information and communication.

Addressing the assembly, the President indicated that the original design of the contract was for a three-tier interchange, however, through effective management by his government, the interchange was changed to a four-tier structure in the same contract amount.

“In fact, two hundred and eighty-nine million US dollars (289 million US dollars) were used by the Akufo-Addo government to build three (3) interchanges, namely at Pokuase, Obetsebi-Lamptey and Tamale , against two hundred and sixty million dollars (260 million dollars) are used, by the government of Mahama, to build only the interchange of Kwame Nkrumah. These are other examples of how we in the New Patriotic Party are good protectors of public funds, ”he said.

President Akufo-Addo said the Pokuase interchange is an integral part of comprehensive measures put in place by the government to address congestion issues in urban centers and to help improve travel time on major arteries.

To this end, he told the assembly, which included the President of the African Development Bank, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, that the government has started the construction of Phase II of the Obetsebi Lamptey interchange, the Tamale interchange, the PTC roundabout interchange at Takoradi, the Nungua interchange which is part of the La Beach Road completion project, the Adjringanor viaduct, where the ongoing works will be completed by now the first quarter of 2022; and phase II of the Tema motorway interchange.

In addition to the construction of interchanges, the president noted that the government has embarked on a number of projects to improve urban mobility in the country to help reduce travel time on our roads.

“This includes the construction of some one thousand two hundred (1200) kilometers of asphalt pavement across the country during my first term. The beneficiary cities are Accra, Kumasi, Tema, Cape Coast, Sekondi-Takoradi and Hohoe. In Accra, some of the areas that have benefited from it include; Weija-Gbawe, Dansoman, Abossey Okai, Osu, Adentan, Bubuashie, Sakumono and Mempeasem, ”he said.

The president continued, “The Tema Steelworks road, the only concrete road to be built by the government from the Accra-Tema highway, has also been completed. Similar work is also underway in the industrial enclave of Tema ”.

In addition, he said that the Legon / Adjringanor roads, aimed at improving travel time in this corridor, are fifty-two percent (52%) complete; the Kumasi Roads and Drainage Extension Project, which includes the dualisation of the lake road and the lining of the Sissai River drain in Kumasi, is 75% complete; and the Teshie Link road, commonly referred to as the LEKMA road, is 90% complete.

“Rehabilitation work on the Assin Fosu highway at Assin Praso is currently underway, with work on the Agona Junction highway at Tarkwa starting shortly, as the contractor mobilizes to go to the site. The construction of the dualisation of the Sekondi / Adiembra roads, at Sekondi-Takoradi in the western region, will start in August, ”said President Akufo-Addo.

After declaring 2021 the “second year of roads”, the president informed Ghanaians that the Ministry of Roads and Highways had scheduled the construction of one thousand five hundred (1,500) kilometers of asphalt pavement in all regions of the country. .

On behalf of the government and people of Ghana, he expressed his sincere gratitude to the African Development Bank, which jointly provided funds with the government for the execution of the Pokuase interchange, and instructed the Ministry of Roads and Highways to ensure the proper maintenance of the Pokuase Exchange over the design period.

“I call on the users of the installation, in particular the drivers, to respect the various road safety measures put in place for the safe use of the installation. Ghana’s modernization is gradually gaining momentum and I implore all Ghanaians to join hands in building the Ghana we want, ”President Akufo-Addo said in conclusion.