More footbridges on N1 highway soon – Fuseini

Minister of Roads and Highways Mr Inusah Fuseini has said his Ministry will construct additional footbridges on the N1 highway. Intentions in the past to add more footbridges on the stretch have always stalled.

The 14-kilometre highway also known as the Mallam-Tetteh Quarshie highway links the urban town of Mallam to the Tetteh Quarshie interchange. It has only six footbridges along the long stretch and they are few and far between.

Since it was opened to motorists in February 2012, it has killed about 150 pedestrians due to inadequate footbridges.

Lapaz, one of the busy areas along the highway, is noted for many of those accidents due to the busy nature of that area.

To make it easier and safe for pedestrians to cross the highway, Mr Fuseini told journalists his Ministry will construct additional footbridges at Fiesta Royale, Lapaz, Nyamekye, Kwashieman and Awoshie.

A few months ago, Mr Fuseini said the additional footbridges had been put on hold because conditions in the three-year IMF bailout programme forbade government from awarding the contract.

“The implementation of the construction of the footbridges programme has been greatly affected by the IMF programme we have entered into,” Inusah Fuseini said.

He explained: “The IMF has put a cap on the limit by which we can take funding from commercial sources, so that clearly is the challenges.”