Motorists and commuters using the SCC–Old Barrier stretch of the Kasoa–Mallam Highway are calling on the government to urgently rehabilitate the road, particularly the section in front of Atala Company, as its deteriorating condition continues to cause severe traffic congestion and pose serious safety risks.
Road users say the stretch has been abandoned despite its strategic importance, with extensive potholes, failed sections of the carriageway and persistent flooding reducing what was once a three-lane road to a single usable lane in several areas.
The situation has been exacerbated by wastewater flowing onto the road from the Bortianor and Red Top communities after a major drainage channel in front of Noble House became clogged with silt.
The continuous flow of wastewater has further weakened the road surface, creating deep potholes and waterlogged sections that force motorists to slow down significantly or come to a complete stop before carefully navigating the damaged portions.
The resulting bottleneck has caused long traffic queues, with commuters spending several hours on a stretch that previously took only minutes to cross.
According to road users, a section that ordinarily takes less than two minutes to traverse now takes more than 40 minutes during peak periods.
The deteriorating conditions have also created dangerous driving conditions. Vehicles travelling from Kasoa towards Mallam are often forced to veer onto the opposite carriageway to avoid the badly damaged section near Atala Company, exposing motorists to the risk of head-on collisions with oncoming traffic.
Commercial drivers say the worsening state of the road is affecting their livelihoods.
Kwame Amissah, a trotro driver who uses the stretch daily, appealed to the government to immediately fix the road.
“The government should come and repair this road as soon as possible. We spend hours stuck in traffic every day because of this stretch, and it is reducing the number of trips we can make. It is seriously affecting our daily income,” he told Citi Newsroom.
For many commuters, the daily gridlock has become physically and emotionally exhausting.
Joana, a banker who travels through the area every day, said the traffic situation had become so unbearable that she was considering relocating until the road is repaired.
“I spend several hours in traffic almost every day. It is affecting my work and my personal life, and I am even thinking about relocating until this road is fixed,” she said.
Akua, a military officer who works at the 37 Military Hospital, said she has had to drastically adjust her daily routine because of the congestion.
She said she now leaves home at 4:00 a.m. just to report to work by 6:00 a.m., describing the situation as unsustainable.
The commuters are appealing to the Ministry of Roads and Highways and other relevant authorities to urgently rehabilitate the SCC–Old Barrier stretch and address the drainage problems contributing to its rapid deterioration before conditions worsen further.
