Plans are in place to finish tier one of the three-stage intersection, despite rumors that the Chinese contractor working on the PTC interchange in Takoradi was destroying iron rods intended for the building because the government couldn’t pay the contractor.
To start work on the section that connects the roundabout from the Takoradi-Accra highway and the Obetsebi Lamptey highway, also known as the Axim Road highway, Messrs Kingspok Construction Limited, a local contractor that created the tier one of the interchange, which covers the down part, was mobilizing to the site.
Due to the opening of the section that connects the roundabout directly from the Accra road, drivers heading toward the Takoradi-Accra road from the Liberation Road and the Obetsebi Lamptey Highway would no longer need to turn right at the Takoradi Mall in order to enter the main Accra road.
According to Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, the Western Regional Minister, who made this revelation in an interview with GNA, the action is anticipated to enhance traffic flow and lessen congestion in the region, particularly during rush hours.
According to him, the government was in talks with its Chinese counterparts about resuming the three-tier PTC interchange project because it wanted to enhance the area’s road system and offer a significant economic boost.
The government’s commitment to finishing the project by the end of the year was reaffirmed by Mr. Darko-Mensah, who recently spoke with the Minister of Roads and Highways on the future of the PTC interchange.
He alluded to the fact that “we have finalized the restructuring of the Chinese loans and Ghana would be paying them off to resume completion of the PTC interchange project” after speaking with the Roads Minister.
In order to relieve traffic at the Goil Filling Station region and guarantee free traffic flow in the Metropolis, particularly in the lead-up to Christmas, Mr. Darko-Mensah noted that layer one, which covers 26 meters of the PTC interchange, was being completed.
He noted that a major turning point in the ongoing building project was reached recently when tier one of the Interchange was partially opened to traffic.
During a site inspection, it was observed that scaffolds used for concrete work on the flyover were being swiftly taken down to make room for the contractor to start construction on the section that connects the Kwame Nkrumah Roundabout to the area in front of the Takoradi Mall and the Jubilee Market.
Additionally, it was noted that the recently opened interchange segment that links the PWD roadway to the Agona-Nkwanta roadway and Liberation Road from Market Circle to the Agona-Nkwanta Highway was assisting commuters.
On September 16, 2020, Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia signed the contract for the first-ever $2 billion interchange at the PTC roundabout. The project was being carried out by Messrs. Power China Sino Hydro Corporation Limited and was anticipated to be finished in 30 months.
But when the Chinese contractor departed the site in January 2023, the project came to a standstill with only around 80% of the work finished.
When Mr. Francis Asenso-Boakye, Minister of Roads and Highways, toured the project in April of this year to evaluate the condition of the halted interchange, he stated that the government was thinking of giving a portion of the contract to another contractor to complete some minor project work.