By Nicholas Osei-Wusu
What is meant to be a symbol of safety for motorists and pedestrians, as well as the pride of the people of Asokwa in Kumasi, is now the target of nation-wreckers and avaricious individuals in society, as they deploy evil strategies to destroy what has cost the nation millions of euros to build. Unless duty bearers act and fast at that, the Asokwa interchange could soon become a death trap, as the crash barriers are being stolen in bits and pieces by faceless persons.
Correspondent Nicholas Osei-Wusu reports that pedestrians, in particular, are now exposed to the extreme danger of either falling to their death or possible knockdowns by vehicles if urgent remedial measures are not put in place.
As a two-tier road infrastructure, its major features are the provision of crash barriers and guardrails at the upper tier descending into the lower roads. These facilities are meant to securely protect pedestrians and vehicles using the upper roads against running into each other or falling from that height.
But it has been observed over time that there is a gradual removal of some critical parts of the metal crash barriers. The perpetrators’ modus operandi is to remove the bolts and nuts from the joints to loosen them. Subsequently, the parts serving as pillars are also being taken away in what appears to be a systemic manner, with the suspected endgame of stealing the crash barriers.
Even though this nefarious and nation-wrecking activity is ostensibly perpetrated under the cover of darkness, some residents of Asokwa, such as Ama Birago, a shopkeeper nearby, attribute it to scrap dealers who scavenge for anything metal for sale to earn a living.
“The scrap dealers are behind that act. They pretend to be mentally unstable, carrying sacks on their backs. They do this in the cover of darkness when no one easily sees them,” Madam Birago alleged.
Kwaku Awuku Baah, a resident near the interchange, suspects this could only be the work of scrap scavengers for their parochial economic gain at the expense of everyone else.
He said, “If I chance upon anyone stealing the rail guards, I can tell him or her something or even cause his arrest. But it’d be difficult to see them. The theft is only known upon daybreak. The crash barriers are meant to prevent accidents. But the current situation is very scary.”
This assertion was confirmed by the new Ashanti Regional Director of Urban Roads, Na-eem Iddrisu, who disclosed that some of the metals were recently traced to the hideout of scrap dealers.
“These are defects that are caused by people I call nation-wreckers. These are people who try as much as possible to remove these things for sale—scrap dealers. A month ago, we had a trail to a scrap dealer and we actually found some of the pieces at his shop, and this situation was reported to the Oforikrom Police Station and the case is being pursued,” the Regional Director disclosed.
What is more dangerous is the clandestine but gradual removal of the heavy metal crash barriers on top of the concretes along the pedestrian walkway on the right side, leading from the Asokwa-Amakom JHS direction into the main Asokwa-Ahinsan road under the overpass. This has left pedestrian users of that stretch highly exposed to imminent danger from slipping to either their death or terminal injury. The Regional Urban Roads Director says steps will be taken to address the concern.
He said, “We’re doing a number of repairs within the town also because of the upcoming Christmas. We’re doing a lot of road markings at intersections. We’re replacing a number of crash barriers that’ve been damaged at various intersections. So, now that Asokwa is brought to our attention, we’ll add it as part of our programme so that we can fix it.”
As if the theft of the crash barriers is not enough, the metal bars used as pillars for fencing the ground beneath the overpass are also a target for the scrap dealers, thereby collapsing the fence and allowing mentally deranged persons to turn the underpass into a safe haven, creating a mess of the place. But, as the adage goes in Asante Twi, ‘Kyea na akyea nanso 3mmuu y3’. To wit, it is better late than never, or a stitch in time saves nine.
This is a situation falling under the mandate of the Asokwa Municipal Assembly to salvage, to ensure the place is clean and safe for users of this monument of road infrastructure. Similarly, as provided for under Article 41 of the 1992 Constitution, it is also the collective responsibility of every citizen to protect public property such as this infrastructure. It therefore behoves every user, especially the residents nearby, to keep an eagle eye on the facility so as to get the culprits to face the law or keep them at bay.
The Asokwa interchange is a significant road infrastructure in the Ashanti regional capital of Kumasi, now in the Asokwa Municipality, meant to ease vehicular movement difficulties. Started in June 2008, the interchange is one of three such facilities initiated in the Ashanti region by the government of President John Agyekum Kuffuor, but completed by his successor, with the other two at Asafo and Sofoline, all almost at the same time.
The project, which is a crucial component of the Kumasi inner ring road, directly links the Angloga Junction to the Ahodwo roundabout, and was built as an initial 37 million euro facility by AFD with government of Ghana counterpart funding.
The project, an upgrade of the single-lane Oforikrom-Asokwa Bypass, involves a 3.2-kilometer two-lane asphaltic surface dual carriageway from Oforikrom to Asokwa, with an interchange located exactly where the old Asokwa Police Station and Timber Gardens used to be, guiding a safe separation of traffic into various directions.
