Commerce thrive beneath Mallam overpass

The empty space beneath the Mallam overpass on the N1 is gradually becoming a bustling hub of commercial activities.

Various commercial activities are taking place under the overpass in blatant disregard for safety and security.

 Sand and granite selling as well as tipper truck renting are some of the booming businesses taking place there.

Immediately a vehicle parks by the place, the business operatives quickly rush to find out what it is that the person needs.

 Other activities

Other activities that seem to be picking up in the area are block moulding and vehicle washing.

The tipper truck operators cart granite to locations within Accra at a cost of GH¢750.

Concrete mixers for hire have also been displayed at the place while a barbering also shop is situated close by.

A food joint has also taken post at the place, providing different recipes to the business operatives who have set up camp beneath the overpass.

A lorry station has also been created with vehicles that ply parts of Accra, Kasoa and other parts of the Central Region.

A visit to the area by the Daily Graphic revealed that a major drain sitting under the overpass that ensures the passage of water is under threat as it is being refilled by the squatters.

All manner of waste and solid objects are continuously being dumped into the drainage as well as the swampy portions underlying the bridge.

Also, the traffic lights around the overpass have not been functioning for sometime now while a cattle ranch is developing in the area.

The combined effect of the scenario around the overpass, which is an important landmark, derides the quantum of money that went into the project.

 The N1 project

The Mallam overpass was part of the Tetteh Quarshie-Mallam Junction project which was constructed under the Millennium Challenge Account.

The project was to enhance transportation in and around the Accra Metropolis and facilitate the movement of more than 36,000 vehicles daily and reduce peak travel time from one hour to 20 minutes on the 14-kilometre stretch of road from the Tetteh Quarshie overpass to Mallam junction.

The highway project, which was named George Walker Bush Highway after former US President George Bush Junior, at a cost of $173.2 million, started under former President John Kufuor and completed under the late President Mills who together with former President Kufuor inaugurated it on February 16, 2012.