Residents along Adjetey Kanton Street in Teshie, Greater Accra Region, have expressed their frustration over the deteriorating condition of the only access road to their homes, which has remained abandoned for months.
They report significant challenges in accessing essential services, such as ambulances and waste collection, as the road’s poor condition has made it inaccessible to vehicles.
The road, which starts at the first left turn leading to the popular Ford School in Teshie, was initially in poor condition but still motorable until the local assembly began repairs and attempted to create proper drainage channels. Residents claim that the stalled project has caused severe inconveniences, particularly during emergencies.
They recounted several instances where ambulances were unable to reach those in need due to the road’s inaccessibility.
Despite mobilizing their resources, residents stated that work on the road began six weeks ago, with promises from the assembly’s road engineer to address the road and drainage issues.
However, the project has since been abandoned, leaving the community in limbo with no communication on when work will resume.
“As you can see, the gutter has been abandoned for probably three or four months now. It’s as though our authorities don’t care,” one resident lamented.
“We are suffering in this area. If you are travelling, you have to carry your luggage to the roadside. We have some elderly men in the house, and we are pleading with the authorities to come and help us. We are stuck in our homes,” an affected senior citizen said.
After each rainfall, the road becomes even more treacherous, trapping residents in their homes or forcing them to wait for hours before they can attempt to navigate it.
The state of the road has created additional problems for residents who must use it to access their homes. Some have been attacked while walking on the road at night.
“I was attacked when I was returning from choir practice. People jumped on me. Please put this out so the authorities can come to our aid,” an elderly woman, Maa Maggie, said.
Dorothy Christian has been trying to mobilize community members living along the stretch to find a lasting solution to the road’s deplorable state. According to her, attempts to collect funds from residents were futile after the Ledzokuku Assembly intervened and began the process of fixing the road and expanding the drains to prevent flooding.
“It’s been a problematic road for years, but it became like this two months ago. Because it’s a waterlogged area, whenever it rains, water from the other side gets stagnant here. We usually mobilize funds to buy sand to fill the road, otherwise, cars get stuck.
“One morning, they asked us to park our cars outside because they were going to build another drainage across. They told us that if we didn’t move our cars, we wouldn’t be able to get out. That was over three months ago. We are appealing to the authorities to come to our aid because we are stuck in our homes,” she said.
In response, Ledzokuku Municipal Chief Executive Mordecai Quarshie acknowledged in an interview with Channel One News that the assembly was unaware of the stalled project. He assured residents that the contractor would return within the week to complete the road.
However, the road remains in a deplorable state, with no clear timeline for when work will resume.