Six Adenta-Madina Footbridges To Miss April Deadline

The footbridges at the Firestone, Ritz and Madina Zongo junction are undergoing rapid construction work while work has slowed on the Redco Junction, SDA Junction and WASS Junction ones despite earlier indication that they will be completed by April 2019.

Meanwhile, road users living in and around Madina and Adenta have expressed mixed reactions about the pace of the work.

Fatalities on the Madina and Aburi Highway stretch dominated the News in November last year; the deaths were blamed on the non-completion of the footbridges.

Work on the footbridges commenced after residents revolted following the death of a West African Senior High School, WASS, who was returning home after school.

The safety of pedestrians has since been left in the hands of the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD).

Speaking to Citi News, the commander, Supt. Paul Wesley Baah said they are doing their best to prevent motor traffic accident.

“On our parts as a law enforcement agent is to make sure that the road is cleared, make sure drivers don't park at unauthorized places which could cause congestion and result in motor traffic accidents,” he said.

Over a hundred people are said to have been knocked down on the stretch since 2018 due to the lack of footbridges and faulty traffic lights.

The residents say they live in fear of being knocked down any time on the highway due to the absence of footbridges to ensure safe movement of pedestrians from one side to the other on the road.

On Thursday, November 8, 2018; when a taxi cab knocked down a female student of WASS on the Adenta-Madina Highway leading to riots by the residents.

The residents blocked the road and burnt car tyres to prevent the movement of vehicular traffic over the non-availability of footbridges.

On November 9, the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Roads and Highways, Transport and Interior issued a statement that work would commence in a week's time (November 16).

Some residents however on Monday, November 12, 2018, staged a peaceful protest to re-echo the need for footbridges to safeguard lives of pedestrians.

On the same day, officials of the Ghana Highway Authority took six contractors to the site in readiness to begin work on the uncompleted footbridges.

In January, the Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwasi Amoako Attah said he was impressed with the rate at which contractors working on the footbridges are progressing with work.

The six contractors engaged to fix footbridges Fekams Co. Ltd., Highbrains Construction Co. Ltd., Joshob Construction Co. Ltd., First Sky Ltd., Justmoh Construction Limited and Core Construction said ensured Ghanaians they would complete the work on time.

---citinewsroom