Ghana gov’t awards $100m Kwame Nkrumah circle project to Brazilian firm
Contract for the design and construction of an interchange at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle in Accra and other ancillary works in Accra has been awarded to Queiroz Galvao Construcao, a Brazilian construction firm.
The project will significantly reduce traffic congestion in and around the Western Corridor of Accra.
Detailed designs of the project, according to Mr Rosby Kome Mensah, the Chief Engineer in charge of Maintenance at the Department of Urban Roads (DUR), would be ready by the end of March this year.
The scope of work covers a detailed engineering design, the construction of the interchange, the construction of a road-over-rail bridge, improvement of the intersection of the Ring Road at the Feo Eyeo Road and improvement of road drainage works.
An agreement for the execution of the $100-million project (74.88 million euros), has already been signed between the governments of Ghana and Brazil.
The loan is an export credit agreement between the government and PNB Paribas of Paris, France, a mandated lead arranger, and the Queiroz Galvao Construcao of Rio de Janeiro under a Brazilian Official Equalisation Programme (PROTEX).
The first flyover will carry traffic from Ring Road Central to Ring Road West. In the opposite direction, an underpass is proposed with two lanes of traffic.
The second flyover connects the Akasanoma Road and Ring Road West.
Both proposed flyovers are two-lane unidirectional roadways.
The middle tier is a roundabout and all other movements are streamed to the roundabout.
Facilities for pedestrians, cyclists and persons with disability will be provided.
A key component of the interchange is the provision of green strips and verges intended to reduce the level of noise pollution from vehicles and also serve as a carbon sink for aesthetics.
The government has made budgetary provision for compensation payments to property that will be affected within the project vicinity.
The Kwame Nkrumah Circle is a major arterial road network in Accra and is estimated to carry 84,000 vehicles a day.
Experts at the DUR indicate that even though the intersection has reached the limit of its traffic capacity, traffic demand on the other arteries continues to increase, resulting in serious congestion during peak periods and most periods of the day.
Mr Mensah said detailed feasibility and engineering studies had been carried out and would be factored into the design, reconstruction and other related ancillary works.
Source: Daily Graphic