Road closure causing heavy traffic jam

Last Saturday’s crash of the Allied Airline cargo aircraft at the El-Wak Stadium which led to the closure of the 37 Hospital-Burma Camp road has resulted in traffic congestion in the immediate surroundings of the crash site.

Motorists heading towards the Tetteh Quarshie Interchange, La and their surrounding areas from the 37 Military Hospital have to endure endless periods of frustration.

Crawling like tortoises on each side of the route, motorbikes, cars and cargo trucks, with some belching thick clouds of fumes from their exhaust pipes, jockey to squeeze into one lane of the annoying gridlock.

Street hawkers have taken advantage of the traffic jams to peddle their wares.

While some drivers switch of their roaring engines to preserve fuel, some impatient passengers in commercial vehicles file out of the vehicles, convinced that it is  faster to walk.

When the Daily Graphic visited the accident scene, it was observed that while the road leading to the crash site from the Kotoka International Airport was choked with traffic, there was free movement of vehicles from the El-Wak Stadium towards the airport.

Portions of the road from the El-Wak Stadium to Burma Camp has been cordoned off to make room for investigations into the crash that took 10 lives on board a 207 Benz bus.

Currently, vehicles plying the 37 Station-La Wireless road, on leaving the 37 Station, are made to divert their route through the Cantonments Post Office to the Togo Embassy area.

The situation has created heavy congestion to and from the Tetteh-Quarshie Interchange and roads to and from the Kawokudi Junction towards Dzorwulu. 

The situation was worse during the rush hours in the morning but improved in the afternoon.
To contain the situation, policemen from the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) have been placed at some vantage points to control traffic.

On how to reduce the traffic congestion, ACP Angwubutoge Awuni, the Commander of the MTTU, told the Daily Graphic that the blocked road would not be opened until the end of the investigations.

He said the MTTU was working with the Accra Metropolitan Assembly to put diversion signs at vantage points so that motorists could avoid the traffic jam.

He, however, advised motorists coming from La Wireless towards the Burma Camp to avoid the traffic by going through the American Embassy area.

“We advise that motorists make their own calculations and use other routes that will not lead them into the traffic,” he said.