Africa-Press – Ghana. Mr Governs Kwame Agbodza, the Minister of Roads and Highways, has dismissed claims that the Suame Interchange project has been downgraded from a four-tier to a two-tier design.
Rather, he noted that the project had been modified to a three-tier interchange with an addition of the Kumasi Outer Ring Road.
His comments follows claims by the Ashanti Caucus of the Minority in Parliament that the interchange, initially designed as a four-tier, had been reduced to two-tier.
Addressing a news conference in Accra, on Monday, Mr Agbodza said the revised design, together with the construction of the outer ring road, would deliver greater benefits and more effectively address traffic congestion across the Greater Kumasi Metropolis than the original plan.
He stated that the modification, particularly the inclusion of the outer ring road, would resolve traffic challenges beyond the Suame intersection.
“The modification, together with the additional roads being undertaken, would more comprehensively deal with the traffic challenges not only at the Suame intersection but the entire greater Kumasi metropolis,” he said.
He explained that the Kumasi Outer Ring Road, which begun at the Atia Junction near Boankra and passed through Juaben, Kasam, Tano Odumasi, Ahodwo and Akom, provided a more appropriate transport connection and significantly reduced travel time for vehicles moving between northern and southern Ghana.
Additionally, he said the road would divert a substantial volume of northern traffic away from the Kumasi city centre.
Mr Agbodza said the initial four-tier design was conceived at a time when the Suame Interchange served as the only credible connection between the Ashanti Region and the northern parts of the country.
That was located on the N10 highway and at the start of the 1R4 (Mampong Road), the two main access routes to the north.
He noted, however, that implementing the original design would have placed a heavy burden on the public purse due to costs associated with the demolition of buildings, relocation of utilities, payment of compensation, and the limited availability of funds following Ghana’s programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The new design, the Minister indicated, offered better value for money, as it would reduce the need to demolish storey buildings and relocate utilities, thereby allowing businesses to continue operating while delivering a first-class concrete road.
He appealed to the people of Kumasi to support the government in the execution of the project and assured that the Suame Interchange would be completed by 2027.
