MOTORISTS and commuters on the Accra-Tema Motorway breathed a sigh of relief Tuesday morning as the route reopened to traffic following the conclusion of repair work on the road's Lakplakpa Bridge.
The repair work, which was due to be finished on Monday, June 20, 2022, was completed four days ahead of schedule, allowing the road to reopen early.
The Minister of Roads and Highways, Kwasi Amoako-Attah, was at the site at about 5 a.m. yesterday to witness the reopening exercise, which has brought much joy to motorists who have had to endure two weeks of gridlock, including commuters who have had to spend between two and four hours in traffic every day on a trip that normally takes an hour.
Theft
Some motorists described how claimed miscreants on the road grabbed their cellphones, computers, and other electronic devices.
Akosua Konadu Owusu, a commuter, said she was still reeling from the trauma of her laptop being taken from her car last Tuesday.
Another commuter, identified only as Tetteh, said he was unaware of the danger when he pulled down his car windows. While he was stalled in traffic, his phone was taken from his car at 8:30 p.m.
However, a cab driver, Peter Mensah, expressed delight at the work's completion and urged officials to take the motorway's upkeep seriously.
Kingsley Amevor, a trotro driver who stated the closure of that section of the road had an impact on his sales, praised the Roads Ministry for expediting the repair.
Work is required in an emergency situation.
The minister stated that while the closure was unfortunate, the emergency repairs were required to prevent the bridge from collapsing, which would have had "devastating" repercussions.
"I'd want to use this opportunity to congratulate the whole team of engineers who, despite severe rain during the rehabilitation period, stood in the rain in extremely tough conditions to ensure the successful completion of the works."
"We've learned a lot, and we're hoping to do more sensitization as we finish the preparations for starting work on the rehabilitation of the full 24-kilometer section from here to there."