By Eric Appah Marfo
Accra, Aug. 27, GNA – Sections of the Dr Busia Highway will be closed from September 7, 2026, for underground storm drain construction under the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) Project.
Dr Kwadwo Ohene Sarfo, Coordinator of the GARID Project, announced the planned road closures at the Government Accountability Series in Accra.
He said the first phase of the traffic management plan would run from September to November 2026.
Dr Sarfo said the westbound carriageway from Pamprom Junction would be closed, affecting motorists travelling from the Korle‑Bu Mortuary Road, Graphic Road, Obetsebi Lamptey Circle and Kwame Nkrumah Circle towards Pamprom Junction, First Light Intersection and beyond.
He said that motorists would be diverted through designated alternative routes, including the Awudome Cemetery Road, Awudome Roundabout, Mataheko and other connecting roads to First Light Junction.
Dr Sarfo said Pamprom Junction was expected to reopen in the first week of December 2026, but the westbound section of the highway from Kaneshie Station to First Light Junction would remain closed until August 2027 to allow drainage works to continue.
He said another phase of the traffic management plan would begin in September 2027 and continue until October 2027, involving closure of the road between the First Light Intersection and the Cocoa Clinic Roundabout.
Dr Sarfo urged motorists to avoid the affected corridors where possible and use designated alternative routes to reduce congestion and ensure safety.
“Starting from today, signages will start providing road users adequate information in terms of where to turn, and warning in advance where the roads have been blocked,” he said.
Dr Sarfo said that pedestrian walkways and footbridges would be provided, while public education would be intensified through the media and local languages.
He said the GARID Project was working with 17 assemblies to strengthen waste collection and support community‑led clean‑up exercises.
Dr Sarfo said environmental officers had also received basic legal training to enhance enforcement and prosecution of sanitation offenders.
He said the public could contact the project on 0800‑800‑900 or 0800‑500‑600 on the MTN network, through WhatsApp on 0241 340 130, the GARID website, or at the Accra Metropolitan Assembly and Ablekuma Central Municipal Assembly.
Dr Sarfo said the road closures and drainage works formed part of broader measures to improve flood‑risk management in the Greater Accra Region.
He noted that addressing flooding also required improved waste collection, community participation and enforcement against indiscriminate dumping.
Brigadier General Richard Kinney, Commander of the 15 Engineer Brigade of the Ghana Army, said the unit was undertaking dredging and flood‑control works at various locations in the region.
He said dredging had been completed at the Oyarifa New York retention pond, with equipment to be moved to Abokobi and Teiman before proceeding to Damfa.
At Mallam Borla, Brig. Gen. Kinney said the Brigade was removing solid waste compacted at the Lafa Basin retention pond, with the waste being transported to Nsawam in collaboration with Zoomlion Ghana Limited.
He said the operation would run around the clock, with excavation and stockpiling during the day and haulage at night to minimise traffic disruption.
“We’ll need free traffic because we’ll be moving from Mallam right down to Nsawam,” he said, adding that about 20 heavy‑duty trucks would be used for the night‑time haulage.
Brig. Gen. Kinney said the Brigade would subsequently move to the Kpeshie Lagoon area at Laboma, where parts of the lagoon had been filled with waste and structures erected.
He said the Army would excavate the material and work with the Forestry Commission to restore vegetation, particularly mangroves.
Brig. Gen. Kinney said that dredging works were also planned for the Sango Lagoon between Teshie and Mallam from next month.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey
Reporter: Eric Appah Marfo