3 months ago
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Contractors working on the second phase of the Obetsebi-Lamptey Interchange in Accra have started applying bitumen as they work around the clock to complete the project by next month in order to ensure free flow of traffic in the capital.
When the Ghanaian Times visited the project site yesterday, the dust covering commuters had reduced, with workers pouring black bitumen on the asphalt overlays.
Workers were also fixing street light poles on both sides of the road to and from the bridge, while those on the bridge have already been installed.
Giving an update on the project, the Resident Engineer, Owusu Sekyere Antwi, said in an interview with the Ghanaian Times that the construction of the bridge had been completed with the concrete materials awaiting the asphaltic overlay, likely to be ready in two weeks’ time.
Mr Antwi indicated that the street lights were being worked on and the New Jersey crash barriers had also been installed on the bridge, while final works on the major drains from Agbogbloshie to Korle-Bu were almost done.
The Resident Engineer explained that the major outstanding work left to be done was the relocation of the Ghana Water Limited pipelines close to the roundabout for the groundwork to begin.
He said, “The road works from the Awudome and Korle-Bu directions to the bridge deck, as well as the drains towards Pamprom junction, would be completed by the end of this month. By mid-September, hopefully, the fully completed project would be handed over to the government as promised by the contractor.”
Mr Antwi also commended motorists and other road users, especially the general public, for their comportment during the construction period, and urged them to bear with the contractor for the remaining one month as efforts were being made to complete the project.
The project, which commenced in February 2021, was expected to have been completed in March this year. However, work came to a halt due to the government’s debt exchange programme.
But the contractor, Messrs QGC UK Limited, moved back to the site about two months ago to continue work, which was almost 90 percent completed. The major work, including the storm drains from Pamprom to the Shell and the SIC area to the interchange, has been done. What remains are the drains from SIC to Royal House Chapel and the Korle-Bu drains, which are all almost complete.
Work on the 92 million Euro second phase project of the interchange, undertaken by Messrs QGC UK Limited, started in February 2021 and was expected to be completed in March 2023.
But the contractor could not meet the completion timeline due to constraints that compelled construction engineers to ask for an extension, which was granted.
The project covers the third tier, including work from the interchange towards Abossey Okai, as well as underground storm drains from the Hyundai stretch to Pamprom, near Kaneshie.
The additional storm drains provided are expected to address the perennial flooding in the area.
The first phase, valued at $35 million, was completed in November last year, five months ahead of schedule.
BY LAWRENCE VOMAFA-AKPALU
