Road and Building Consultant, Abdul Mahama has reckoned that the $84-million Pokuase Interchange project in the Ga West Municipality in the Greater Accra Region, will be one of its kind in West Africa and the second four-tier interchange in Africa after its completion.
His projection which he made “on authority” was during an interview with Samuel Eshun on the Happy Morning Show.
The Pokuase Interchange which was once a three-tier design project was redesigned to a four tier stack interchange.
Abdulai Mahama expressing his view on the redesign noted, “The more the tiers, the less the conflicts with vehicles. On authority, Ghana is the second country in Africa to have a four-tier. South Africa is number one followed by Ghana. So when the Pokuase interchange is completed, it will become the number two in Africa not even in West Africa. So with this you will reduce vehicular conflict to the barest minimum that you have”.
According to him, the negotiation from a three-tier to a four-tier project by the Government is very commendable as he explains that it will reduce the chunk of time people spend in traffic.
“People don’t look at what goes into traffic. I made an estimation for a media house about a year ago, about the fact that those who sit in traffic from Amasaman towards Pokuase to Ofankor, spend an average of about one and half hours in the morning. So if every car is spending 10 Ghana Cedis on fuel, which is about 10 liters of fuel every morning in two hour traffic. You quantify the cost of delay vis a vis the consumption that goes in every morning over 40 billion. So the good thing is that once they have been able to negotiate from a three tier to a four tier it is a big applause”.
He however, advised that when the project is completed, “the education has to be intense for people to know their whereabouts otherwise it will be a bit confusing.That will be first of its kind in West Africa”.
The Pokuase Interchange which is underway is expected to ease traffic on the road and to improve the time for the construction and reduce the cost of the project. The project, which is jointly funded by the African Development and Government of Ghana, is expected to be completed in two years and would ease traffic congestion and improve urban mobility along the Accra-Nsawam road.
South Africa is recorded to be the only country in Africa with a four-tier interchange known as the EB Cloete Interchange; an interchange between the two national roads that pass through Durban: the N2 and N3.
By: Alberta Dorcas N D Armah