Portion of Sofoline Interchange wall collapses

One of the retaining walls of the Sofoline Interchange in Kumasi has fallen off due to heavy rains recorded in the metropolis in recent times.

The wall, which is one foot thick at the top and two feet thick at the bottom, last Tuesday night shifted from the retaining wall built to prevent waste and rainwater around the project from spilling onto the main road.

The laterite sand which was used for the filling pushed a portion of the wall from the main retaining wall that nearly fell on the road but for the foundation.

As a result of the shift, the road from Abrepo Junction leading to Kwadaso and its environs has been closed to motorists while contractors have moved to site to bring down the falling wall and clear the debris, after which the road will be re-opened.

Explanation

A quantity surveyor with the project consultants, ABP Consult, Mr Samuel Soshie, told the Daily Graphic that the wall was supposed to have a drainage system that would collect all the waste and rainwater from the area to a major drain so that water would not sip into the wall.

Due to lack of funds, however, he said the contractor could not complete the project.

As a result, years of retained water weakened the wall, leading to the shift of that portion.

He said due to the absence of an interceptor drainage, water that had collected at the top of the wall sipped into the laterite and eventually affected the wall and the rains pushed it out.

For now, he said the road would be cleared “and hopefully by Thursday, it will be opened to motorists”.

According to Mr Soshie, the remaining wall would also be removed since it showed signs of weakness to ensure safety of road users.

Contrary to claims by some residents that the defect was a result of shoddy works, he said “this cannot be when just a portion has shifted and not the entire wall”.

Background

The Sofoline Interchange project started in 2007 and was supposed to have ended in 2010.

It comprises the interchange and the Bekwai Roundabout to the Abuakwa road.

While the entire project is about 70 per cent complete, the Sofoline Interchange itself is about 99 per cent complete.