Engineers working on the second phase of the Obetsebi Lamptey Interchange say they are on course to meet the March 2023 completion deadline.
They estimate the current state of the project \u2014 which started in February 2021 \u2014 to be about 64 per cent complete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The second phase is a third tier flyover stretching from the Awudome Cemetery to the Abossey Okai Central Mosque, and underground storm drains around the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the site yesterday[August 22, 2022], technical staff and labourers worked on the edge beams, also known as the workmen walkways, on the ramps on Abutment Two \u2014 the thick pillars which will carry the descending or ascending deck \u2014 while others prepared to lay blinding concrete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ramps are the sloped pathways on each side of the flyover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Filling of the ramp with laterite and crushed rocks were already done and compacted along with binding and steel reinforcement on the ramp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At Abutment One \u2014 situated near the Abossey Okai Central Mosque \u2014 the blinder, which is the base layer of weak concrete laid above a layer of hardcore to provide dry working surface, had already been laid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The side drains and workmen walkways had also been done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Progress made<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe are currently working on the ramp of Abutment Two. However, concrete and asphalt works for the walkways have been completed on Abutment One,\u201d the Resident Engineer of the project, Owusu Sekyere Antwi, told the Daily Graphic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said the construction of the underground box culvert would allow the free flow of water in the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe steel bridge is currently being fabricated in England. We expect to receive the first batch of the shipment in the country by mid-September,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Compensation<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In relation to compensation, Mr Antwi said although few properties were affected by the construction, compensations had not been made to affected people yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He mentioned that shop owners, who had to close their shops or relocate due to the construction, were among people to be compensated for loss of income.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, he pleaded with motorists to bear with the construction process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe urge pedestrians to use the walkways for their safety. We are also urging motorists who park on paths created for pedestrians to desist from such acts,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n