The Ministry of Roads and Highways says it is hoping to complete ongoing emergency repair works on a bridge on the Accra-Tema motorway by 6am on Friday, 17th June 2022 to allow for free flow of traffic on the highway.

It said the contractors on the project are working day and night to ensure that the work is completed speedily.

The Ministry’s statement comes at a time when commuters have been lamenting about the worsening traffic congestion on the stretch as a result of the construction since Monday, June 13, 2022, when the construction started.

It said the contractor on the Beach road had been directed to open the dual carriage section of its project site to traffic to ease the congestion on the motorway.

“The Ghana Highway Authority has been working day and night to reconstruct the deck, applying modern technology of concrete production and use to ensure that the road is opened to traffic by Friday, 17 June 2022 at 6:00 am… Contractors working on the Beach road have been directed to ensure that the dual carriage sections are opened to traffic. The motoring public is advised to use alternative roads such as Fertilizer Road, Tsui Bleoo Road, Spintex Road 1, Teshie Link, Adogon Highway and Burma Camp Roads 1 & 2 and follow directional signs,” the statement said.

The ministry explained that the ongoing work is necessary to protect lives and property as the bridge on the Lakplakpa river, which was last repaired in 2014, had become defective.

“In 2014, one span of the 2-span bridge was replaced with a steel deck. Presently, the steel deck has failed and defects have occurred in the remaining reinforced concrete slab. The defects on the steel deck have affected the steel beams and welds. In order to save life and property, it was imperative to close that section of the road for emergency repairs,” it added.

A Senior Engineer at the Ghana Highways Authority who is supervising the ongoing maintenance, Ing Aaron Amponsah, had earlier said in a Citi News interview that officers have been deployed to assist motorists on the road.

“We are pleading with all users of this road to bear with us. We find ourselves in this situation because a bridge collapsed. We are looking at fixing the road in three weeks.”

Read the full statement below: