President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has observed that the modernization agenda of the country is systematically gathering momentum as government takes efforts to have all the important infrastructure needs of the nation addressed.
Commissioning the Pokuase Interchange on Friday, President Akufo-Addo entreated all citizens to join hands with his government to build the country so desired.
“The modernization of Ghana is steadily gathering momentum and I entreat all Ghanaians to join hands in building the Ghana we want,” he urged.
President Akufo-Addo gave assurance that his administration will continue and complete all other major road infrastructure projects currently under construction across the length and breadth of the country.
He also urged all road users to be mindful of the various road safety measures put in place for the safe use of the facility.
“The Ministry of Roads and Highways must ensure the proper maintenance of the Pokuase Interchange over the design period. I appeal to the users of the facility, especially drivers, to adhere to the various road safety measures put in place for the safe use of the facility,” President Akufo-Addo said.
Roads & Highways Minister
The Minister for Roads and Highways, Mr Kwasi Amoako-Atta, in a brief statement, noted that the decision to upgrade the Pokuase Interchange from a 3 to a 4-tier was a demonstration of the Akufo-Addo administration’s commitment to improve the country’s road infrastructure.
He assured the nation on behalf of the President that the Pokuase Interchange has been constructed to meet all the high international standards with regard to road construction and that the country gained “real value for money”.
To avoid needless accidents on the Pokuase Interchange, Mr Amoako-Atta urged road users and drivers to pay particular attention to the ongoing media education on how to navigate the multiple road sections on the new interchange.
“The Pokuase Interchange has been constructed to the required standards and specifications approved by the Ministry of Roads and Highways. I am again happy to announce that despite the project complexities and the intensity of the works, no major fatalities were recorded during the entire construction period.
“This four-tier interchange is a bit complex compared to others already constructed and ongoing in the country. I will therefore entreat all road users to watch the educational campaign on TV and other social media channels to be conversant with its usage in order to avoid needless accidents. Safety has been the hallmark of this project so l appeal to all and sundry to adhere to the directional and all information signs,” Amoako-Atta added.
The Pokuase interchange
The ACP Junction at Pokuase is a key intersection along the Accra Kumasi Highway(N6).
The N6 over the past years has been the bane of residents and commuters who traverse it due to the overwhelming congestion during morning and evening peak hours.
Commuters previously spent up to 2 hours in traffic between the Amasaman and Ofankor stretch of the N6.
With the construction of the Awoshie Pokuase Road completed and the proposed Pokuase-Ritz-
Motorway Roads yet to commence, it was necessary to address a major bottleneck (Pokuase Intersection) on the N6 (Accra-Kumasi Highway) and the A15 (Awoshie-Pokuase-Ritz-Motorway).
This is in line with the transport sector’s objective of government to provide an integrated, viable and sustainable transport infrastructure to meet the goals of poverty reduction and regional integration.
The Pokuase Interchange was initially designed as a 3-tier.
The Contractor undertook a value engineering exercise as part of the requirements of the contract and proposed a 4-tier interchange.
This proposal was mainly to eliminate the left turns on the 2nd tier of the original 3-tier design.
It was reviewed by the Consultant and DUR and subsequently approved by the Ministry of Roads and Highways.
Other project components
Other components of the project are community support which includes the rehabilitation of Manchie Women’s Group Center for Cassava Processing, rehabilitation of Kpobiman Women’s Group existing facility for soap, bread, pastries and bead making, institutional support (technical assistance) and project management.
The opening of the interchange will essentially ease traffic congestion, improve urban mobility, which will benefit the trucking industry, agro-industries located within the project corridor, facilitate socio-economic activities, and generally improve livelihoods and build social value. It would also minimize the negative effect of vehicle emissions on the environment.
Project consultants
Messrs Associated Consultants Limited (ACON)/Bigen Group were the supervising consultant.
The works were executed by Messrs Zhongmei Engineering Group Ltd. The Department of Urban Roads was the agency under the Ministry of Roads and Highways responsible for the execution of the project
