Threatening Highways: How Mallam Junction Interchange is gradually becoming a death trap

The Mallam Junction Interchange is one of the dual carriage flyovers in Accra that connects road users to some key parts of town.

The 14-kilometre interchange on the George Walker Bush Highway connects commuters to the Mallam-Gbawe township, Kaneshie, Dansoman, Lapaz, and Kasoa in the Central Region.

The purpose of the interchange was to improve the traffic flow and reduce the travel time for commuters who want to make their way to these areas.

As important as the interchange may be, it is gradually becoming a death trap.

Falling trucks, recorded accidents, and broken vehicles, among others, have impacted the structural integrity of the interchange.

GhanaWeb's visit to the interchange shows some challenges that need to be fixed urgently to maintain the integrity of the interchange.

One major challenge was the exposure of the expansion joints that hold the flyover together.

These joints, at the time of construction, were covered and protected by concrete and rubber.

However, continued use, especially by heavy trucks, has badly exposed these joints, making the interchange vulnerable to not only drivers but also the structural integrity of the flyover.

Some drivers who spoke to GhanaWeb's William Narh noted that the exposure of the expansion joints and the badly exposed bolts and knots not only causes danger to their vehicles but also endangers their lives.

"Because heavy-duty trucks ply the interchange, their weights have broken the edge of the concrete at the various joints. The heavy trucks have bigger tyres and, as a result, don't feel the impact of the broken edges, but the smaller cars always get hit when they pass over the joints.

"When approaching the interchange from Baah Yard heading towards Kasoa, the road is bad. The interchange that connects you to Accra is also in a very bad state. The stretch that connects drivers coming from Kasoa to Tema is the worst when it comes to the nature of the road. All the trailer trucks carrying heavy wood from Takoradi to Tema use this interchange, and they have made this interchange very risky," one driver stated.

Among other things identified, the drivers bemoaned the lack of directional signs, road markings and other road signs.

They explained that the lack of these signs on the interchange often confuses drivers, resulting in accidents.

"When you are heading to Dansoman from Lapaz, you will realise that cars have crashed into the medians, and there is no sign that indicates that there is a median there.

"There are no line markings that indicate to drivers the lanes they are to drive in. At night, drivers with high beams can confuse oncoming vehicles, and they end up crashing into the median," another driver stated.

Concerning the recorded accidents on the interchange so far, a resident who also spoke to GhanaWeb stated that because the concretes used at the edges of the interchange are short, long trucks find it difficult to use the interchange.

According to him, there have been cases where some long trucks fell off.

"One day, a long truck loaded with sunlight soap from Unilever fell from the top of the bridge. Another time, four guys in a Toyota Camry fell from the lane that takes you to Kasoa. A motorcycle and the rider also fell at the point I am showing you.

"About four months ago, a trailer truck packed with wood had a balancing challenge when it was negotiating the curve, and all the wood fell on this tipper truck. So, imagine there were schoolchildren at the time it happened; we would have reported bad news," he added.

Another resident also raised concerns about the drainage that was constructed to gather rainwater from the flyover.

GhanaWeb's checks also revealed that the drainage pipes that run along the pillars of the Mallam Junction Interchange have been broken.

The metals that hold the pipe to the flyover have also rusted.

"I want you to focus on the drainage pipes. No white man would construct roads and leave the pipes hanging this way. The metals holding the pipes have all rusted and broken. There are no gutters here, so anytime it rains, the water flowing through the pipes floods this whole place. There is no maintenance, and authorities don't come around to assess the challenges here," he added.


Watch the full interview below


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