Cabinet briefing on Obetsebi-Lamptey Interchange project today

Cabinet will, today, consider details of the Obetsebi-Lamptey Interchange project which is expected to ease traffic that continues to build up at the Obetsebi-Lamptey Roundabout in Accra following the near completion of the Kwame Nkrumah Circle Interchange project.

The Cabinet meeting — the 42nd in the Mahama administration — will be chaired by President John Dramani Mahama.

A source close to the Flagstaff House told the Daily Graphic yesterday that  the meeting would also consider and approve a number of key construction agreements, policies and conventions.

It said other issues to be considered centred on job creation through diversification of the economy, infrastructure development for job creation and governance issues such as the rights of the visually impaired, as captured by the Marrakesh Convention, and the rights of workers, as contained in the Draft National Occupational Safety and Health Policy.

“There will be a detailed briefing on the status of the Obetsebi-Lamptey Interchange project and related works which are expected to commence soon,” the source said. 

The project is planned to address the huge traffic that has been building up  at the Obetsebi-Lamptey Roundabout as the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange project nears completion.

“The Nkrumah Interchange, among other things, is improving traffic flow around the enclave, including traffic on the Ring Road. This accelerated flow of passengers, goods and services makes it imperative for the government to speed up the commencement of the construction of the Obetsebi-Lamptey Interchange.

“On a daily basis, the Obetsebi-Lamptey Interchange and related works are estimated to impact positively, directly and indirectly on the lives of over one million people,” the source said.

Project details

Documentation on the project indicate that the project included the widening of the Ring Road West from the Ring Road Flyover to the Obetsebi-Lamptey Circle into a three-lane dual carriageway, with provision for Bus Rapid Transit facilities to aid commuters to and from the city centre.

Additionally, the Nii Teiko Din Street from the Mpamprom Junction to the Awudome road will become a two-lane dual carriageway, while the Awudome road will also be widened.

Critical intersections along the project corridor, such as the Beyeeman Junction on the Graphic Road, the Abossey Okai Junction on the Ring Road West Extension and the Awudome Junction on the Ring Road West, will also be improved to offer significant relief to the millions of citizens who commute on these routes.

Other ancillary facilities will include drainage channels along the catchment area of the interchange for streams, namely, Awudome, Kaneshie/Darkuman and Mataheko. 

The Obetsebi-Lamptey Interchange project, which will be undertaken in two phases, will also improve activities at the Kaneshie Transport Terminal.

Other issues 

Apart from the road project, the 42nd Cabinet meeting will also discuss the Marrakesh Treaty, which was adopted on June 27, 2013 in Marrakesh, which forms part of the body of international copyright treaties administered by the World International Property Organisation (WIPO). 

It seeks to facilitate access to published works for persons with visual impairment and others who live with varying forms of print disability. 

The treaty will further ensure that published works are designed in accessible format for their use.

Other issues to be considered include the Draft National Occupational Safety and Health Policy, the Petroleum Downstream Local Content and Participation Policy, the regulatory boards for the oil palm, rubber and cashew industries,  the Report on the Financial Obligations of the aviation sector stakeholders to the Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet), and the amendment of the Ghana Meteorological Agency law, Act 682.

The source recalled that President Mahama had interrupted his campaign tour around the country to attend the Tokyo International Conference for Africa’s Development (TICAD VI) in Kenya a few days ago and indicated that the President would head for the Central Region to resume his campaign for a second term next week.