The Greater Accra Regional Office of the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) has blocked and stopped unauthorized developments near the Accra-Kasoa highway that could possibly affect free flow of traffic, increase flooding and cause vehicular accidents.
The developments were the construction of a direct access to the highway, an unapproved access culvert construction and the destruction of the vegetative buffer zone reserved to reduce vehicular accident impact as well as future expansion of the highway, by a private developer and the Empire Cement Ghana Limited
A team from the Authority led by its Director, Lawrence L.L. Lamptey and other stakeholders on a visit on Thursday, observed that the developer who was allegedly constructing a structure, for shops and an accommodation facility, filled the water course along the road embankment with soil material and was about to illegally create a road to the highway.
Mr Lamptey said by filling the low-lying waterway with soil materials and inadequate hydraulic capacity of the constructed pipe culvert, the developer was preventing the free flow of the water body, which could lead to spillage, leading to flooding of the area with associated destruction of lives and property.
“These activities, despite being illegal and unauthorized are also dangerous to the traveling public, motorists and bother to the road agencies,” he said.
The Director said the developers’ action contravened the Road Traffic Regulations 2012 (L.I.2180) section 113 and the GHA Act 540, Clause 15 (1)(b) which stated that :”No person shall without the written permission of the GHA construct an access road to link a ‘trunk road’ as well as the 15(3) which also indicates the penalties for contravening clause 15(1).
Mr Lamptey, therefore, cautioned the developers to stop all constructions immediately and demolish and dispose of all construction materials from the road reservation and water bodies.
“You are, therefore, to stop all construction activities within the road reservation and water body immediately. You are also to demolish and dispose of all construction from the road reservation and water body within 14 days…”
“Your failure to undertake these activities within the road reservation will compel the Ghana Highway Authority to execute the activities and surcharge you for the cost in addition to the penalties imposed by L.I 2180 and GHA Act 540 15 (3),” he said.
Mr Lamptey said all activities were supposed to be at least 45 metres away from the road, therefore, if anyone wanted to connect to the highway from his or her structure by the roadside, the fellow had to apply to the Authority for approval first.
With the Empire Cement Ghana Limited being constructed at Tetegu, some metres away from the road, he said the agreement was for the Company to construct a 2.2 box culverts to enable water to flow freely during heavy rainfall.
However, the Company constructed a 0.9 culvert, which was woefully inadequate and had little capacity for heavy water flow.
Mr Lamptey said: “If they fail to comply, we will just have to enforce our own rule and that is to go to court.”
GNA