The deplorable nature of the road
Hundreds of commuters were yesterday stranded on the Ewusiejo section of the Takoradi-Agona-Nkwanta-Elubo-Cote d’Ivoire highway, in the Western Region due to the deplorable nature of the international road.
Two broken down articulated trucks in the middle of the road for the past three days worsened the already bad situation. According to sources, the trucks loaded with assorted goods and moving from Cote d’Ivoire heading towards Takoradi developed faults on reaching Ewusiejo in the Ahanta West Municipality, probably due to the bad nature of the road.
The road is a major one mostly used by trucks transporting foodstuffs, cocoa, bauxite and timber to the port of Takoradi and other areas.
It is also part of the Trans-African highway which traverses Cote d’Ivoire and other West African countries, including Togo and Nigeria.
It would be recalled that the Ghana Highway Authority temporarily closed the Ewusiejo section of the road to carry out repair works on the metal bridge spanning River Butre on the highway, recently.
However, apparently due to the nature of vehicles that ply the road, the bridge is deteriorating again.
When DAILY GUIDE visited the scene, it was revealed that stranded passengers were forced to alight and wade through muddy and slippery surfaces to their respective destinations or join other vehicles.
Some of the stranded commuters recounted how the situation at the Ewusiejo section of the highway, had been a harrowing experience.
“The highway had recently experienced breakdowns of vehicles, especially heavy and long vehicles which sometimes blocked the road to inconvenience other users.
“We need a permanent solution to these perennial challenges of travelling on this section of the highway. This road hauls huge tonnes of logistics, including fuel and gas products to some areas,” they lamented.
Some of the commuters also asserted that the potholes on the roads are sometimes filled with laterites and boulders, but the rains have washed them away and rendered the road impassable.
According to the Regional MTTD, the two broken down vehicles are foreign vehicles, adding that the Shippers Authority has been informed.
“We have to do the offloading under the supervision of Customs and tow the broken down vehicles from the scene,” the Regional MTTD indicated.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi