Six contractors engaged to work on the Madina-Pantang Highway on Monday visited the site in readiness to begin work on the uncompleted footbridges after receiving the architectural drawings towards the start of work this week.
Officials of the Ghana Highway Authority took the contractors to the site to verify whether the drawings handed over to them conform to the information on the ground, while they mobilise resources to start serious work.
Madam Winifred Nafisa Mahama, the Public Relations Officer of the Ministry of Roads and Highways, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), said the contractors were supposed to construct ramps and stairs as well as other ancillary furniture on the six uncompleted footbridges.
Meanwhile, she said, work had begun on the construction of speed strips and crash barriers on a section of the road to temporarily safeguard the movement of pedestrians and other road users.
She entreated pedestrians and motorists to comply with the interim safety and security measures to prevent accidents.
“Motorists should know that whenever they are approaching a school or town, they are supposed to reduce their speed limits to be in full control in case of any sudden crossing by a pedestrian, while in the same vein pedestrians are supposed to be disciplined and cross the road at only demarcated points,” Madam Mahama stated.
When the GNA’s news team visited the Madina-Pantang Highway on Monday morning, it witnessed the traffic lights at the Zongo and Riis junctions were functioning, while personnel of the Motor Transport and Traffic Department (MTTD) and traffic wardens from the La-Nkwantanan-Madina Municipality were aiding pedestrians to cross the road to ensure safety.
Some residents of Adentan told the GNA that some of the dysfunctional traffic and street lights were fixed three days ago, thereby improving visibility and movement of vehicles and pedestrians during the day and night.
However, they said the MTTD officials and traffic wardens left the road at 1500 hours each day and, thus, appealed to the Government to extend their time of stay till 2200 hours.
It could be recalled that On Thursday, November 8, a taxi cab knocked down a female student of the West African Senior High School on the Adenta-Madina Highway killing her instantly, which triggered riots by the residents to demand the completion of the footbridges.
They blocked the road and burnt car tyres to prevent the movement of vehicular traffic.
They largely blamed the frequent accidents and causalities on the lack of footbridges along the stretch.
It took the timely intervention of the Police and personnel from the Fire Service to douse the fire to restore sanity.
Some residents on Monday, November 12, staged a peaceful protest to drum home the need for government to urgently fix the uncompleted footbridges to safeguard lives.
Source: GNA
