Accra Dubai flooded

Last Sunday’s heavy downpour which resulted in the flooding of the entire space of the newly commissioned Kwame Nkrumah Interchange, has made many Ghanaians to describe the entire project as lacking any proper engineering merit.

The entire ground space of the three-tier flyovers, described by former president John Mahama as “Accra Dubai” in Ghana, looked muddy with pockets of stagnant water.

At the time of visit by DAILY GUIDE on Monday, the managers of the interchange, hawkers and shop owners close to the bridge were seen cleaning their respective premises to start their business operations.

Minister for Works and Housing, Samuel Atta Akyea, toured the flooded area yesterday.

A number of the people who spoke to DAILY GUIDE suggested that the contractor, Gueiroz Galvao Construction – a Brazilian Company – did a shoddy job.

They argued that the contractor executed the job without putting adequate measures in place to allow for the free flow of surface water when it rains, adding that they had during the early stages warned that such a bridge required careful planning to avoid a recurring of the 2015 disaster which resulted in several deaths.

The three-tier interchange which was constructed to replace the former Kwame Nkrumah Circle cost a colossal project value of €74 million.

The project was jointly funded by the Government of Ghana and Brazil and comprises a flyover from the State Housing Corporation (SCC) head office to the Circle overhead bridge along the Ring Road; on the other wing is the Akasanoma flyover, the Nsawam flyover and a bridge over the Odaw river.