Madina-Adenta footbridge
Government has announced its readiness to resume work on six footbridges on the Madina-Adenta stretch of the N4 Highway in Accra following Thursday’s protest which was triggered by a deadly accident on that road.
Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwasi Amoako-Atta, who made the announcement in a release, appealed to residents in and around the area to “remain calm and cooperate with the ministries, as steps are being taken to address the safety challenges.”
According to the release, work on the uncompleted six footbridges is expected to commence within a week, adding that it would be done on an accelerated basis with multiple contractors to ensure quick completion.
It said, “This is in accordance with already commenced processes prior to the unfortunate incident that occurred on Thursday.”
Residents, mostly the youth, along the Madina-Adenta Highway on Thursday, November 8, took to the highway, burning tyres and obstructing traffic in protest against the rampant fatal knocking down of pedestrians by motorists.
The action followed the death of the second person by a speeding vehicle on Thursday on the Adenta-Tetteh Quarshie Highway a few days after an earlier one.
The young student of the West African Senior High School (WASS) was killed by a speeding vehicle when she was crossing the highway.
Residents set fire to old tyres to prevent drivers from using the road.
But government, which has expressed regrets, pledged to expedite action to complete the footbridges so that residents can safely use them.
It said, “The Inter-Ministerial Committee on Roads and Highways, Transport and Interior note with regret the frequent incidents of road crashes and their resultant casualties on the Madina-Adenta Highway.”
According to the statement, “These incidents have been occasioned by high-speeding vehicles and inadequate pedestrian crossing facilities, including footbridges.”
The statement pointed out that to help ameliorate the challenges, “traffic signal lights and street lighting are also to be fixed to improve visibility on the corridor.”
It also indicated that “the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) is to intensify its education and sensitization programmes to target drivers and pedestrians along the corridor.”
By Melvin Tarlue