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The Department of Urban Roads (DUR) has commenced rehabilitation works on road around the stalled Nungua Interchange project in Accra. This is to help ease road traffic and create access for motorists and commuters.

The three-kilometre remedial project involves asphalting of the untarred portions of the road from the Nungua Barrier in the Krowor Municipality to the Sakumono Estate Junction in the Tema West Municipality.

The project, which includes 19-kilometre inner roads within the Nungua enclave, is expected to be completed within a two-month period.

Speaking during a visit to the site at Nungua yesterday, the Minister of Roads and Highways, Francis Asenso-Boakye, said he directed the DUR to engage local contractors to repair sessions that had deteriorated to reduce the drudgery motorists went through daily on the deteriorated roads.

“We are aware that this project is causing inconveniences to motorists, commuters and residents. In fact, this area is a strategic location in terms of population density and businesses. That is why the government is implementing such a major intervention,” he said.

Rationale for delays
Mr Asenso-Boakye explained that the project was expected to have been completed in February last year, but suffered delays due to the ongoing debt restructuring programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

"It achieved about 85 per cent completion rate when the contractor left the site, and since then, the road has seen major deterioration," he said. The minister added that the three-tier interchange project formed part of the 31-kilometre major road works that had been divided into two lots.

The first lot is a 14-kilometre Osu to Boade Junction while the second is the 17-kilometre Boade Junction to Tema Community Three.

The minister expressed the government’s commitment to fix all projects that had suffered setbacks, such as the Takoradi interchange, Ashaiman and Tema-Aflao roads, to bring relief to residents in those areas.

He said once the government reached an agreement with the IMF and the Paris Club, work would commence and, therefore, entreated residents in those areas to be patient.