Corroded, weak guard rails on Ofankor-Nsawam highway sparks fear among commuters

A fatal accident on the Dompoase road in the Central Region on January 16 which claimed about 34 lives has not only been labelled a national tragedy but has also set in motion road safety conversations geared towards reducing the possibility of its recurrence.

In addition to general deliberations that usually focus on drunk-driving, negligence and bad roads, commuters on the Ofankor-Nsawam road have taken the conversation to another level, touching on components of the infrastructure, particularly, guard rails.

These metal structures are supposed to secure the edge of the road which happens to be on higher ground to prevent vehicles from falling off.

But these mangled and corroded bars lining the edges of the road have left some drivers wondering what their fate would be in the event of an unfortunate accident.

From the look of things, at Ofankor Barrier in the Ga West District of Accra, that would be a costly mistake.

Countless crashes over the years have left the facility in a sorry state.

Yaw Boamah, a deeply concerned cab driver tells JoyNews: “those in charge always ply this route but they ignore the problem. Unfortunately, these rails constructed with taxpayers’ money will be allowed to suffer such damage”.

The mangled metals bear evidence of countless crashes over the years, which the drivers are clearly not oblivious to.

Portions of these rusted rails on a 20 metre-long flyover bridge over a railway line in the area are what seems to be causing fear among drivers.

An accident that occurred on that stretch some days ago, according to another driver, was only saved from entering a ditch by one strong part of the rail.

He called on the Road Safety Commission and Highways Authority to help give the structures a facelift.

At the John Teye junction, residents say they had to bend a portion of the metal rail to aid predestrians who are crossing the road since there was no footbridge to serve that purpose.

One of them, Ebenezer Antwi, who has lived in the area for a year says some people have contracted tetanus from injuries sustained jaywalking over the bended mental area.

Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, during the presentation of the 2020 Budget Statement and Economic Policy, reiterated the government’s commitment to focus on roads.

For commuters along this stretch, a deliberate effort at improving the Ofankor-Nsawam stretch will be one such project that they will look out for..