Work progressing on N4 footbridges

Work on the three footbridges along the Adentan stretch of the N4 Highway is at various levels of completion.

The underground utility and communication cables are the main challenges impeding progress.

When this reporter went on a tour of the three footbridges along the Adentan stretch, workers were busy at post, with excavators and diggers lifting debris as concretes were being mixed.

The Site Engineer and Project Manager of Core Construction Limited, Mr Emmanuel Gasper, in an interaction, said about 60 per cent of construction work for ramps to the footbridge near the West Africa Senior High School (WASS) had been completed.

He said the major challenge was the cables from the utility and telecommunication companies that were obstructing digging on the right hand side of the highway towards Aburi.

He said his company was, however, receiving assistance from the third party companies to resolve it.

Mr Gasper said there had also been slight reviews of the construction works in areas where the cables could not be re-located.

The columns had been completed with workers working on the steel materials to fill it with concrete for the decking of the ramps to that particular footbridge.

Progress report

Briefing the Daily Graphic, the Project Manager of Justmoh Construction Ltd, Mr Abdul Kadir, and the consultant on site, Mr Zakaria Abdul-Jalilu, said the company usually did monthly progress reports.

The progress report for the month was not yet ready as of the time of the visit.

However, as of last month, 23 per cent of the construction work for the ramps had been completed, he said.

At that site, the main challenge was a transformer and an Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) high tension pole which posed danger to workers because it was close to where the excavation for the columns had to be done.

Mr Abdul-Jalilu said officials of the ECG had come to conduct an assessment to pave the way for the relocation of the transformer.

On site, a wooden and metal form works were being undertaken for concrete to be cast for the ramps on one side of the highway.

No challenge

The Foreman of the First Sky Construction Ltd on site, Mr Ben Akanwam, said construction of pillars for the ramps had been completed on the left hand side of the highway towards Aburi.

“We are left with about two columns to finish. We have, however, completed all the pillars on the left hand side.

“It took us just a short time to complete the work. We have had no interference or challenges and that has made us proceed in a fast manner,” he said.

Background

A series of highway knockdowns on the Adentan stretch of the N4 resulted in the death of many people, including a WASS student, which sparked spontaneous reaction from the youth and residents on November 8, 2018, during which they blocked the highway, burning tyres and pelting the security personnel who came to restore order with stones and water sachets.

In the aftermath, the government was pushed to re-award the contracts for the completion of the ramps to the footbridges to the three companies.

On Tuesday, December 4, 2018, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo visited the construction sites of the footbridges and urged the contractors to finish the works on time.

The contractors then told the President that work would be completed in six months.

Source: Graphic.com.gh