Commuters and residents along the Ashaiman-Afienya road are frustrated by the deteriorating condition of the road, which has led to severe vehicular traffic, affecting local businesses, drivers, and residents’ health and productivity.

A journey that should take 25 minutes now takes over 3 hours, forcing some to leave home as early as 5 a.m.

The poor state of the road, part of the Eastern Corridor Road Project LOT 1, has been exacerbated by the government’s IMF program and debt restructuring, which have affected funding and slowed down construction.

The dire condition of the road, according to drivers, is significantly eroding their income as they now have to spend more on maintaining their vehicles.

The situation at the Ashaiman roundabout towards Gbetsile is not any better in the evening and, in some instances, even worse.

A road user stated, “The traffic situation is bad here. When it rains, it floods the road from Ashaiman roundabout all the way to the barrier area. The potholes on the road are many, and as a result, the cars cannot move fast enough, and the traffic situation intensifies. The road is also narrow. It would be good if the road can be expanded along with the construction of the drain.”

Speaking to Citi News, the contractor responsible for roads on the Eastern Corridor LOT 1 project explained how the government’s IMF program and the subsequent debt restructuring have affected the progress of the construction on the road.

“Originally, it was supposed to have started in May 2022 and end in November 2024. Unfortunately, because of the economic challenges facing the country, the funding agent decided to hold off payments, pending an agreement with the government on how the payment structure will be, so they instructed the contractor to hold off on doing physical work.”

He, however, assured that engineers have begun fixing potholes on the stretch to ease the traffic situation.

“We’ve spoken to the contractor, so they’ve started fixing the roads. They started close to this campsite, somewhere around the railway. They’ve started some pavement work there.”

Residents and road users are calling for urgent attention to the road, which is not only affecting their livelihoods but also their health and productivity.