Construction of footbridges on N1 Highway will bring ‘relief’ to residents – MP

The construction of additional footbridges on the George Walker Bush (N1) Highway road will bring massive relief to residents of Lapaz, Abeka and its catchment area, the Member of Parliament for Okaikwei Central, Patrick Yaw Boamah has said.

Parliament has approved an amount of €28.5m contract agreement for the construction of additional 3 footbridges on the George Walker Bush (N1) Highway and 11 pedestrian bridges at hazardous locations in other regions.

Four bridges will be constructed in the Ashanti region and the Central region will also benefit from the project.

Speaking to Business24 after the approval, MP for Okaikwei Central, Patrick Yaw Boamah said the additional 14 footbridges will reduce pedestrian knockdowns in the Abeka-Lapaz catchment area within his constituency and other beneficial cities.

Hon. Boamah who is also the Deputy Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources added that completion of the bridges will also enhance the safety of road users and resolve conflicts between non-motorized transport user and vehicular traffic.

“The construction of the bridge will bring relief to residents within Lapaz, Abeka catchment areas and I will use this opportunity to thank the President,” he said.

He indicated that the construction of the three bridges will help reduce the spate of road accidents on the N1 Highway.

Construction of the footbridges is expected to be completed within 36 months.

The contract agreement is between the government of Ghana represented by the Ministry of Roads and Highways and Jason Bridging International BV of the Netherlands.

In 2018 alone, statistics show there were over 13,000 reported cases of road accidents across the country, with about 15,000 casualties including recorded death cases.

Road Traffic Crashes (RTCs) are one of the leading causes of premature deaths in Ghana.

Recently, after the rehabilitation of a very critical link on the N1-Highway in Accra, RTCs have soared.

The prevalence of traffic injuries and fatalities has attracted the attention of both road safety professionals and policymakers.