Roads Minister explains reduction of Suame interchange from four-tier to three-tier

The Minister of Roads and Highways, Governs Kwame Agbodza, has explained that the Suame Interchange in Kumasi is being modified to include the construction of an outer ring road, citing new developments within the greater Kumasi area as the reason for the change.

According to him, the original four-tier design was not arbitrary; it offered what it could, based on the opportunities that existed at the time, and with the construction of the outer ring road, an even more appropriate option is being offered.

Sod was cut in October 2022 for the four-tier interchange at the Suame roundabout, where the N6 from Accra connects to the N10 leading to northern Ghana, to improve urban mobility in Kumasi and the Ashanti Region. It was set to be the first four-tier interchange in the Ashanti Region and the second in the country after the Pokuase Interchange in Greater Accra.

Speaking at a press briefing in Accra on Monday, Minister Kwame Agbodza said President Mahama had authorised the construction of the Kumasi Outer Ring Road, which commenced at Atia Junction near Boankra and traverses Juaben, Kasaam, Tano Odumasi, Ahodwo, ending at Akom on the N10.

“This new construction offers an even more appropriate connection from the N10 at Akom to the N6 at Boankra and shortens the travel time for vehicles travelling from the northern part of our country to the southern part and vice versa. Construction of the Kumasi outer ring road will divert most of the traffic up north from the city centre,” he stated

The minister was addressing the press in response to concerns raised by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Ashanti Caucus, accusing the government of deliberately reducing the project from a four-tier to a two-tier interchange.

Kwame Agbodza dismissed the claims that not a single pesewa is being diverted from the original project, but rather, over GH¢3 billion has been committed to the outer ring road network.

He explained that funding the original four-tier design became challenging after Ghana declared default and approached the IMF. While the project was initially put under an AFRIEXIM facility, only partial disbursement of the advance payment has been received to date.

The minister said the main challenge with the original design was not functionality but expropriation costs.

“The project budget did not include the full cost for relocating utilities, and although utilities such as water and electricity at the roundabout were eventually moved, there remained more at Krofrom intersection and Abrepo,” he said.

He also cited land and property compensation as a major hurdle, noting that part of the north-south viaduct would have to be built on land owned by Garden City Mall, impacting the Suame Police Station and a three-storey commercial and residential building, which were not budgeted under the project.

“The modification would allow us to save those buildings and allow the businesses to thrive while offering a new first-class concrete road from Akom on the N10 to Boankra on the N6,” he said.

He also assured that the bad section from Abusuakuruwa to Akom would be completely rehabilitated.

“I disagree that reducing the scope from a four-tier to what is being proposed, which is a three-tier, would fail, as this is not being done in isolation. The only portion of the original design being eliminated is the four-tier bridge, as the expropriation impact does not make it worthwhile, especially when the outer ring road is being constructed,” Kwame Agbodza added.

He further indicated that the modification, along with the additional roads being built, “would more comprehensively deal with the traffic challenges not only at the Suame intersection, but the entire greater Kumasi metropolis.”

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