Accra, Mar 08, GNA – The Ministry of Roads and Highways has shrugged off suggestions that the Tamale Interchage needed structural audit.
A statement issued by the Ministry, copied to the Ghana News Agency, said its attention had been drawn to a publication titled “Minority Leader demands structural audit on Tamale Overhead Bridge,” published by the Ghana News Agency and other media outlets and said the Interchange had met required standards.
“We wish to state categorically that the Tamale Interchange project has been undertaken in accordance with the standards and specifications of the Ministry,” it said.
The statement said the Interchange had a total bridge and ramp length of 1072m and that the bridge was a continuous concrete bridge, which was different from the other simply supported bridges in the past, which had a lot of expansion joints and reduced the driving comfort of motorists.
The Ministry said it was a pre-stressed concrete box girder, very efficient for curves on the bridge, with high torsional resistance.
The statement said the Tamale Interchange had the fourth-highest surface area for a concrete interchange in the country, only behind Mallam, Sofoline and Pokuase.
It said the Interchange had been constructed to segregate arterial traffic from the local traffic, which used the ground level.
It indicated that the existing road between the Central Mosque and the Taxi Rank used to be a two-lane 6.5m road; however, that had been upgraded to a two-lane 14m interchange on the second tier with a slip road of 5m on the ground level, thereby significantly improving the capacity of the road.
It said the Bridge had been designed to have a 100-year design life, adding that the design went through a rigorous process of approval before implementation.
The statement said in line with best practice, the Ministry appointed an independent supervision consultant to superintend the execution of the works.
It said all test results conducted during construction had proven to be above the required specifications.
The Ministry stressed that the necessary steps had been taken to ensure the Bridge’s stability and value for money.
Regarding concerns about the roundabout, the statement said the roundabout at the Central mosque had a roadway width of 6m and a diameter of 22m.
It said the roundabout had been designed to the Ministry of Roads and Highways standards.
Touching on demolition of structures, the statement said as far as the project was concerned, all the space required to construct the Interchange had been acquired and compensations paid.
It said the project did not need any additional space, and therefore, there was no need to demolish any other structures.
“It has become necessary to provide this clarification to assure the people of Tamale and Ghanaians that the Tamale Interchange is structurally sound, intended for its purpose and will improve traffic flow in the Central Business District of Tamale and, by extension, the country,” the statement said.
Source: Ghana News Agency
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