Madina � Pantang Road To Be Ready February

Work on the Madina-Pantang section of the Tetteh Quarshie Interchange-Mamfe road is expected to be complete by February next year. But the Legon Atomic Junction overhead, which is about 99 per cent complete, will be opened to traffic next month. The project, which was initially expected to be completed last month, has been extended to next year due to some financial challenges. The completion of the three-lane dual carriageway being executed at a cost of $38.7 million is expected to reduce traffic congestion on the corridor. Mr Mikheal Ashdjian, the Resident Engineer of the China Water and Electronic Corporation (CWE), a Chinese construction firm executing the project, told the Daily Graphic during a follow-up visit to the project site that financial constraints had slightly affected the project. �But the government has given the assurance that payment will come in very shortly to ensure the progress of the work,� he said. He added that so far, about 90 per cent of the whole project had been completed and that it was left with the laying of the asphalt. Mr Ashdjian noted that the construction of the five footbridges would immediately commence after completion of the road to allow pedestrians to cross from one side of the road to the other with no difficulty. He also noted that due to the busy nature of the road, the contractor would construct five foot bridges in order to ensure the safety of pedestrians. The site engineer, therefore, commended the Ghana Roads and Highways Authority for choosing such a design and added that it was going to last for a long time. Meanwhile, the Resident Engineer in charge of the Tetteh Quarshie-Madina Road Project, Mr Eben Gyampo, told the Daily Graphic that the Atomic Junction overhead was left with the fixing of the expansion joint. That, he said, would not take less than four weeks to complete. He also indicated that the project would have been completed this month but that would not be possible because of the Christmas festivities and gave the assurance that work would begin immediately after the Christmas break. Mr Gyampo also indicated that a final safety audit would be done before opening the Atomic bridge to traffic. He, therefore, described the 360 metre-long bridge as a gentle steep that would be able to accommodate all kinds of heavy vehicles. The road, when completed, would have bicycle lanes and pedestrian walkways, as well as special lay-bys along the service roads. It would also include street lights, road line markings and road signs.