A section of the Kasoa-Mallam bound road on the Accra-Cape Coast Highway was today, Sunday, May 4, successfully diverted to traffic to pave the way for commencement of construction works on the West Hills Mall access interchange.
The regular road from Kasoa to Mallam was closed at exactly 1:00pm and diverted at Dunkonah Junction near the Weija Shoprite Supermarket and motorists approaching Accra from Kasoa have been advised to drive with caution and follow diversion signs as they approach the construction zone according to announcements issued by the Ghana Highway Authority.
The diversion consists of a 650 metre long asphalt-surfaced, two-lane road which breaks off from the Kasoa-Accra road at Dunkonah Junction and Mandela, towards the Weija Shoprite supermarket.
A Ghana Highway announcement said the diversion is to enable construction works to start on a grade separated interchange which will link the busy Accra- Cape Coast highway to the West Hills Mall, Ghana’s biggest retail shopping complex, still under construction but on course to open within the last quarter of the year.
The diversion was preceded by an extensive public awareness campaign including a stakeholder education forum held three months ago and on the first day of diversion, observers and motorists say they are not surprised that the switch from the main road to the diversion has been smooth and devoid of incidents or traffic holdups.
This phase of the diversion does not affect traffic moving in the opposite direction from Accra or Mallam towards Kasoa, as that section of the road remains open to motorists.
Officials of Ghana Highway Authority, Delico and the Contractors watched with symbolic pride as Police Constable Daniel Appiah of the Weija District Police Command ushered the first batch of traffic smoothly onto the new slip road.
According to engineers working on the interchange, elaborate effort and care have been put into ensuring that motorists enjoy the same driving experience and safety they had on the regular road. Cat’s eyes have been provided all along the stretch of the diversion and giant New Jersey Barriers have been mounted along the steep slopes and embankment of the diversion to prevent cars from veering into the ditch. Also, marked bamboo bollards have been used to reinforce lane demarcations on site and special speed tables have been built in opposite directions to ensure that drivers slow down as they enter and leave the zone of diversion.
Besides directional and safety signage, a team of professional flagmen, assisted by Police MTTD officers from the Weija District Police were on site to manage the flow of traffic.
The interchange became necessary after a comprehensive traffic impact assessment jointly conducted by Ghana Highway Authority and Delico Property Investments, developer of the West Hills Mall and approval to commence work was given by the Highway Authority after the Minister for Roads and Highways had inspected the site and satisfied himself that preparations and safety standards were in line with specifications.
With a design and standard specifications approved by the Highway Authority, Delico is bearing the full cost of construction of the interchange to facilitate the free, safe and uninterrupted flow of motor traffic at the Dunkonah stretch of the Accra-Cape Coast Highway while also providing safe access to the mall for shoppers, pedestrians, mall tenants and service trucks.
Construction works on the interchange are expected to be completed within six months.
