Kwame Nkrumah Circle interchange project progresses
Construction works on the Kwame Nkrumah Circle interchange project are about 15 per cent complete.Work on the diversion of drains at the project site has also started.
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The Resident Engineer on the project, Mr Kweku A. Diafo, told the Daily Graphic that the contractors had so far mounted 150 piles, which form the foundation for pillars of the bridges.
Mr Diafo spoke with the Daily Graphic during a project site visit by members of the Ghana Geotechnical Society (GGS) last Friday to see what the engineers were doing in terms of their design philosophy and offer suggestions if needed.
The Circle interchange
President John Dramani Mahama cut the sod for the construction of the three-tier interchange at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle in Accra in October, 2013.
The 74.88 million euro project is being jointly financed with credit from the Brazilian Government and the Ghana Government.
According to the project design, the first of the interchanges will link the Akasanoma Road to the Nsawam Road, around the Vodafone building.
The other interchange will link the Nsawam Road to the Nkrumah Avenue, around the Ghana Commercial Bank building, while the third interchange will link Ring Road Central to Ring Road West.
Aside from the three-tier interchange, other roads around the Kwame Nkrumah Circle will be improved. These include the rehabilitation of Ring Road East to the Feo Oyo Intersection on Ring Road West.
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The roads will be given asphaltic concrete surface, with pedestrian walkways and bicycle paths.
Besides, the contractors, M/S Queiroz Galvao Constucao from Brazil, will provide passenger sheds and drainage systems at the Neoplan and Odawna lorry stations.
Other aspects
Mr Diafo said the contractors anticipated to finish the panning on the Akasanoma Road to the Nsawam Road and on the Akasanoma Road to the Nsawam Road by the end of February, 2015 .
He said by the end of May, 2015, phase one of the project should be over, and indicated that by the end of 2016, the whole project would have been completed as scheduled.
The Resident Engineer mentioned the demolition of a big drain at the project site and the diversion of some drains and pipelines as some of the challenges facing the project.
Pedestrian Market
The Resident Engineer said part of the Pedestrian Market at Circle would be affected as the bridge would be extended there.
He said the authorities had taken inventory of the traders at the Pedestrian Market, and indicated that the authorities were expected to finish the process of moving the traders very soon.
However, Mr Diafo said the whole of the Odawna Lorry station would be cleared for the project.
The Neoplan Lorry Station would, however, be spared, he said.
Geotechnical Society
The Secretary of the GGS, Mr Joseph K. Oddei, said the work being done on the Circle interchange was of geotechnical importance, especially the foundation.
For instance, he said, the piling approach was a way of minimising environmental impact when it came to the foundation.
"If they have to excavate, that means they will have to excavate a whole lot of space, which can cause a lot of traffic. This way although it creates a bit of congestion, it is not bad," he said.
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Mr Oddei expressed satisfaction at the progress of work on the Circle interchange project.
"From what we are seeing here, work is going on well. What they are doing is quite interesting," he said.