The Ghana Institute of Architects (GIA) is advising government and relevant Ministries to take key infrastructural decisions to prevent chaos when major access roads are blocked for varied reasons.
The closure of the Adomi Bridge in the Eastern Region for extensive repair works is posing a challenge to commuters aiming to travel to the Volta Region.
Also, a damaged bridge on the Tema Motorway has prompted the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) to close part of the bridge to traffic from Tema to Accra for repair works which is consequently causing heavy traffic.
The GIA’s outgoing Honorary Secretary; Tony Asare on Citi FM’s The Big Issue stated that Ghana has a problem with “detours, alternative routes.”
He cited an example saying, “let’s just assume that we close the Legon road, what then happens to access to Tetteh Quarshie?…What if we decide that the Accra-Kumasi road is somehow closed? What happens? Look at the bridge that connects you with Cape Coast to Elmina. If that bridge is gone, what happens to people going to Takoradi?”
He questioned what structures are put in place in anticipation of “population growth, business development, settlement planning, expansion of our city and whatever we need to have to complement the settlement?”
According to Mr. Asare, Ghana’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah constructed the Tema motorway in anticipation of creating satellite cities to Accra.
He hence advised that anticipation during construction of major projects will bring about development control but if “development is allowed to take shape by itself, then there is an issue.”
Sharing his thoughts on the cause of frequent collapse of high rise buildings in Accra, Mr. Asare estimated that 90% of constructions which takes place in the country are undertaken on the basis of recommendation.
He said: “The construction industry in this country is largely very, very, very informal and that is where the dangers are coming from” and therefore urged persons in the industry to follow laid down procedures to safeguard the safety and integrity of buildings.
By: Efua Idan Osam/citifmonline.com/Ghana