The Member of Parliament for Weija-Gbawe, Jerry Ahmed Shaib, has appealed to the government to urgently repair the Mallam-Weija stretch of the Accra-Kasoa highway, saying deteriorating roads and delayed drainage projects are forcing commuters to spend up to four hours in traffic.
According to the MP, the worsening condition of the roads, coupled with persistent flooding and unfinished storm drainage works, has turned one of the country’s busiest corridors into a daily nightmare for motorists.
Speaking in an interview on Citi Breakfast Show on Friday, July 3, Mr. Shaib said commuters travelling from the Central Region and Kasoa into Accra face severe delays, particularly between the Atala area, Weija Junction and Mallam Junction.
“You realize when people are coming from Kasoa towards Accra, sometimes it takes more than three hours just to pass by,” he said.
He attributed part of the problem to the slow pace of work on an ongoing storm drain project, revealing that he had repeatedly engaged the Minister for Works, Housing and Water Resources over the issue.
“He has been here about two or three times. He has asked the contractor to speed up. I do not know if it is an issue of funding or resources because they have been very slow in completing that project,” he stated.
Mr. Shaib said the congestion is affecting productivity and delaying access to essential services, citing the case of a surgeon at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital who was caught in traffic for nearly three hours while patients waited for him.
“I know of a doctor at Korle Bu who sent me a message asking what was happening to us. He had been in traffic for all that while. How does he even get to the hospital to help patients?” he said.
The MP noted that although he had previously undertaken repairs on sections of the road, recurring flooding and what he believes are engineering defects continue to damage the carriageway and create potholes.
He disclosed that he had shared videos and photographs of the affected roads with the Minister for Roads and Highways, who had acknowledged the concerns and assured him that the issues would be addressed.
Mr. Shaib, however, urged the government to expedite the intervention, stressing that thousands of commuters depend on the route every day.
“We are begging them. We are on our knees begging them. They should please do something about this for us, especially from Weija Junction to Mallam Junction, so that commuters will not remain in traffic for all this while,” he appealed.
He added that fixing the critical stretch would not only benefit residents of Weija-Gbawe but also thousands of motorists travelling daily between Accra, Kasoa and the Central Region.
