The case of the prestigious road that is now an orphan
Almost every time I travel on the George Walker Bush Highway, considerably reducing my journey time, and minus the traffic hassle of the past, I say out loud “thank you, President Bush; thank you, President Kufuor”.
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(Incidentally, I’m one of those who prefer to omit ‘former’ and ‘ex’ where presidents are concerned. Once a President, always a President! That is why we expect presidential behaviour from them forever!)
However, last Saturday, passing through the Bush Highway, also known as the National Highway 1 or N1, I observed with dismay that long sections of what used to be a splendid road are in a shocking state of neglect. This, in spite of the laudable objectives that brought the highway project into being, as well as its historic commissioning ceremony.
And it is only two years old!
Apart from the feat of shortening commuters’ Mallam Junction-Tetteh Quarshie Interchange journey time, another aim was that it would speed up transportation of export produce from the Central Region to the Kotoka International Airport and the Tema Port, to boost Ghana’s export drive.
It was a landmark project in other ways, including being part of the Trans-West Africa Highway from the Ghana-Togo border to the Ghana-Cote d’Ivoire border.
Initiated under the administration of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) under President John Agyekum Kufuor, it was completed during the tenure of President John Atta Mills of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The presence of both President Mills and President Kufuor at its commissioning on February 15, 2012 is still referred to by commentators as an example of a rare display of cordiality between the two political parties.
In his speech, President Mills explained that the highway was named after the 43rd US President in recognition of his key role in the establishment of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) of the US which funded the project. The Millennium Development Authority established by Ghana’s Parliament managed the project and part of a 547 million dollars grant to Ghana was used to construct the motorway.
It has some drawbacks, however. There is continuing concern about the many accidents on the highway, blamed on the inadequate number of convenient pedestrian bridges; and lack of access for the physically-challenged.
Earlier this year, the Member of Parliament for that constituency, Okaikoi Central, Hon Patrick Boamah told Parliament that from February 2012 to December, 2013, 489 accidents were recorded on the highway. This included 200 pedestrians knocked down by speeding cars, most of them children, and 70 victims had died on the spot.
He referred to promises by the then Minister of Roads and Highway, Alhaji Amin Sulemana, that five more pedestrian bridges would be constructed by the Government.
Memorably, when he commissioned the highway, President Mills, who died a few months later, presciently gave a caution about the need to maintain it.
But travelling on it last Saturday, it was hard to remember that it was the same highway opened with such fanfare, graced by the two Presidents as well as MCC Chief Executive, Mr Daniel Yohannes and the then US Ambassador to Ghana Mr Donald Teitelbaum.
Particularly, the section from the Apenkwa flyover, through the Dimples Inn Junction to the Tetteh-Quarshie Interchange, is in a very deplorable state, very different from its prestigious beginning.
Litter has taken over both sides of the road; the central reservation is a mess of rubbish and weeds. In places the weeds appear to be knee and waist-high. Moreover, long sections of the railings are sagging, broken or dislocated.
If President Bush were to come to Ghana on an unannounced visit, what would he think of the Ghana Government and Ghanaians?
Which department, agency or office is supposed to ensure the maintenance of the George Walker Bush? Or is it now an orphan, this highway which in February, 2012 some NDC loyalists hotly disputed the opposition NPP’s right to proudly claim?
Is ‘poor-maintenance-culture’ to be forever synonymous with the name Ghana?
If we can’t even maintain what was gifted to us, not to mention the counterpart funds the Ghana Government put in, what hope is there that the promised extra and disability-friendly pedestrian bridges will happen any time soon?
Forewarned is forearmed!
On July 4, this column featured a September 3, 1983, article (‘Down Memory Lane: Winning half the battle’) in which I had referred to the earthquake threat hanging over this country.
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“Currently, there are two dangers threatening us ... One of the threats is the earthquake that some experts have predicted we should expect, and the other is the failure of the northern and Sahelian rains ... endangering our electricity supply.”
Thus, it is alarming that on July 24 parts of Accra reportedly experienced an earth tremor which the Geological Survey Department (GSD) apparently says is cause for concern.
According to a Radio Ghana report, the National Director of the GSD, John Adjei Dodoo, warned that the tremor “could be a sign of a greater thing to come. He said a tremor is a smaller version of earthquake” and thus it cannot be treated in isolation. Nevertheless, Mr Dodoo “advised the public not to panic when there is a tremor.”
I wonder if I’m the only one who was left confused by what Mr Dodoo reportedly said.
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How can he tell us in one breath not to take the tremor lightly as it could be an indicator of worse to come and, in the next breath, tell us not to panic?
In fact, I was expecting the GSD to use the tremor to educate the public about what to do if – touch wood – an earthquake should happen.
Anyway, I hope that such a public education programme has been planned by the Department. It may have done so in the past, but I think that last week’s tremor provides a good opportunity for more public education on the do’s and don’ts in the event of Ghana experiencing this dreaded natural disaster about which we have long been forewarned.
(ajoayeboahafari@yahoo.com)