The Minister for Roads and Highways, Governs Kwame Agbodza, has criticised the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration over delays in the Suame Interchange project, arguing that funds spent on the National Cathedral could have significantly advanced the road project.
According to him, the over US$100 million reportedly spent on the National Cathedral could have financed at least half of the Suame Interchange in Kumasi and spared residents years of traffic congestion and construction delays.
Mr Agbodza made the remarks in response to criticisms by his predecessor, Francis Asenso-Boakye, over the government’s decision to redesign the interchange.
He explained that the removal of the fourth-tier bridge from the original design was necessary due to new developments, including the Kumasi Outer Ring Road being constructed under the Big Push Programme, which is expected to divert heavy traffic away from the city centre.
The Roads Minister also cited unresolved land acquisition and compensation challenges inherited from the previous administration, noting that the fourth-tier bridge would have affected major commercial properties, the Suame Police Station and parts of the Garden City Mall lands, at a cost exceeding half of the project’s original budget.
Mr Agbodza urged the Minority to support practical solutions instead of politicising infrastructure projects, stressing that the redesigned interchange, together with other road works, would still deliver an efficient transport network for Kumasi and the wider Ashanti Region.