Accra roads in dire state - Maintenance completely missing

The lack of maintenance on road surfaces in various parts of Accra has left the roads in dire conditions. With deep potholes, some filled with debris, the uneven surfaces pose danger and discomfort to both motorists and pedestrians.

From minor dents, the roads have developed into major deformities as they stayed untended for a long period, contributing to traffic congestion in Accra, especially during peak hours.

According to some road safety engineers and environmentalists, the congestion leads to further deterioration of the roads and has a detrimental effect on air quality.

Most affected

The most affected areas include Teshie, Ablekuma, Anyaa, Gbawe, Oyarifa, Teiman, Abokobi, and around the Kasoa tollbooth and Kasoa Millennium City.

Other affected areas are Danfa, Otinibi, the Fan Milk roundabout near the New Times Corporation at North Industrial Area,  and some parts of Osu.

The Abossey Okai-Korle Bu stretch of the Ring Road West, also known as the Mortuary Road, has virtual craters at various points, the worst of them at the Christ Temple—Gaskia Road intersection.

At Teshie, the area is now synonymous with poor road conditions, with the main roads plagued with potholes, cracks and uneven surfaces. 

The quality of roads has imposed an involuntary speed check on motorists, who need top skills to manoeuvre to safety as they move along in slow motion.

The problem is compounded by the sheer number of vehicles travelling on the roads, as the population of Teshie has grown significantly in recent years, with an attendant increase in vehicles in the community.

The roundabout at the Fan Milk factory at the North Industrial Area has developed some distinctively dangerous potholes inescapable by drivers.

Those potholes have caused crashes and damaged tires.

A taxi driver, Paul Nkansah, who operates from Circle to North Kaneshie, told the Daily Graphic that heavy duty trucks operating around the area had caused the potholes at the roundabout.

“The companies here must fix these potholes because it is their heavy trucks  that have caused the potholes, and if we want to wait for the government then they won’t be repaired now,” he said, adding that “these potholes didn’t develop today, they have been here for a long time now.”    

There are similar deep potholes in many affluent areas in the capital where the roads are all paved, especially the road linking the Nyaneba Estates junction to Osu from the main road from  J.B.Dankwa Circle.

Empty promises

At Djaman at the Weija-Gbawe Municipality, vehicles struggle to connect to the area due to the deplorable state of the roads.

Erosion has eaten into the edges of the road and created deep holes on some patches.

According to residents, prior to the 2020 election, heaps of sand and stones were deposited on the road leading to the Djanman Taxi Station, but construction--which began with drains on that stretch — ceased a few days after the election.

“These politicians are taking us for a ride, the work on the road was to convince us to vote for them, and when they achieved their results, they deserted us. When it rains, the road gets worse. While drivers struggle through the mud, pedestrians have no option but to walk through it.

“All the roads in the community are nothing to write home about. The stretch from the Precious Jesus School to Frederica Plaza is so rocky that these ride-hailing drivers sometimes refuse to accept requests from that part,” one resident lamented.

Frustration

At Anyaa and its environs, the roads are so bad that they are almost impassable.

The stretch towards the Naigara Hotel from Anyaa Last Stop; from Ajos Junction through the Presby Church, and from NIC through Hill Top and beyond are in deplorable conditions that have left residents frustrated.  

Some of the worst pothole-ridden roads are perhaps in Oyarifa and its environs.

For instance, the road from Oyarifa through Tieman to Abokobi is almost impassable due to the deep potholes on it.

Aside from the potholes and cracks, there are many other signs of disrepair that can slow traffic to a crawl, especially during rush hours.

A Daily Graphic source at the Ministry of Roads and Highways, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the main cause of the poor condition of Accra roads was inadequate funding.

“The Ministry of Finance has not been able to allocate enough funds to maintain and repair the roads in the last three years, leading to their rapid deterioration,” it said.

The unavailability of committed funding for road maintenance, according to the source, was contributing to a lack of proper planning and management of the existing resources.

“The roads have not been maintained on a regular basis, and when repairs are made, they are often done using inferior materials, leading to further damage,” the source said.