Stolen crash barriers to be replaced — Resident engineer
The crash barriers that have been stolen at the Pokuase Interchange are to be replaced to ensure the safety of motorists and pedestrians.
According to the Resident Engineer of the Pokuase Interchange and Local Roads Project (Associated Consultants Limited), Mr Kwabena Bempong, measures were also being instituted to protect the crash barriers from theft.
He told the Daily Graphic yesterday that although the construction firm had completed the project, it had not completely washed its hands off it, since the company had a contract for the next one year to carry out maintenance on the facility.
Bolts and nuts
Mr Bempong said with the experience from the theft of the crash barriers, the firm would ensure that anti-theft bolts and nuts were used in order to make them difficult to be removed.
He said the company would make a suggestion to the Ministry of Roads and Highways in respect of the anti-theft bolts and nuts.
He added that the stealing of road elements was a widespread problem in the country, as could be seen with the stealing of metal grids covering drains and hand rails, among other things.
Defect liability
Expatiating on the protection of the project, he said: “For one year, we would have to ensure that any challenge on the project is attended to.”
“We call this the defect liability period, so that if there is any defect on the project, we have to ensure that the contractor repairs it,” he added.
Background
About three weeks ago, thieves made away with some of the newly installed galvanised crash barriers mounted at the interchange, thereby posing a danger to road users.
Valued about $3,500, the stolen crash barriers, covering a stretch of 40 metres, were meant to protect vehicles from falling over from a high embarkment onto the main road used by vehicles coming from Kwabenya.
A total of 10 crash barriers, each measuring four feet, were stolen.
The incident came some three months after the inauguration of the interchange.
The four-tier Pokuase Interchange on the Accra-Nsawam-Kumasi road, the first of its kind in West Africa, was inaugurated by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on July 9, 2021.
The project comprised the construction of the 6.5-kilometre Awoshie-Pokuase road, an interchange at the intersection of the ACP Junction to Awoshie to Nsawam road, two footbridges, the widening of the Nsawam Road by some two kilometres, drainage works, the provision of streetlights and the construction of 12km of town roads.
