Portion of Aburi-Accra road closed to traffic
Traffic from Aburi towards Accra have been diverted onto the dual carriageway of the Accra-Aburi road following fresh threats of boulders falling onto that section of the road and causing havoc.
Currently, the boulders are perching precariously on one another, ready to fall, at the least disturbance, onto the Accra-bound section of the road.
The Ghana Highway Authority (GHA), which announced the diversion yesterday, explained that the measure was to avoid putting motorists in imminent danger.
He announced this when the Minister of Roads and Highways, Alhaji Inusah Fuseini, accompanied by his deputy, Mr Isaac Mensah, and top officials from the GHA, visited the site yesterday after news of fresh threats of falling boulders.
Work
It is not clear when the road will be opened to motorists, but the Chief Executive of the GHA, Mr Micheal Abbey, said a lot had been done to get the contractor, CST Limited, a local company, to site by February 2016.
"As we speak, we will close this road to traffic to enable us to take temporary measures to address the critical areas. The lane will remain closed until we are sure that the boulders pose no danger to motorists," he said.
According to him, all the materials and equipment needed for the repair work by CST would be ready by January 18, 2016.
Award of contract
The GHA awarded the falling rocks contract to CST Limited in August 2015 to be executed at a cost of about GHc11 million, but work is yet to start.
The contractor, among other things, is expected to provide slope repairs and protection for portions along the bends from Ayi Mensah to the Peduase Lodge.
Since last year, boulders of different sizes and shapes from the Akuapem Ridge have landed on the shoulders of the road.
For his part, Alhaji Fuseini said, "Our understanding is that the studies will take less than 60 days to complete and work will start in earnest by March this year."
Causes
The falling rocks menace has been attributed to a number of factors, including the reconstruction of the road.
However, one key factor which many, including concerned road users, have identified is the construction of houses on top of the hill.
The Aburi Mountain is attractive to some developers because it provides a panoramic view of Accra and Tema.
The curvy stretch is one of the two major roads connecting Accra to the Eastern Region and the Peduase Lodge.
It is also about the only short route from Accra to the Aburi Botanical Gardens, which attracts a number of tourists daily.
Human activities such as stone mining, building on the cliff and the reconstruction of the road are said to have resulted in the current weakness in the rock formation.
