Spintex Road at Rainbow: shoddy work again?

Following-up with the Spintex Road works... I went yesterday and was surprised to see that the works were over and the road open to all types of vehicles. Here it what it looks like, seen from opposite Housemart.


On the face of it, there is nothing but reasons to rejoice: job completed fast, brand new road. Looking closer, though, one can notice that the surface gravel is very thin indeed and the laterite beneath is already beginning to show through.


One can see other weak points which may yield soon too:


Note that the resurfacing exercise was completed less than a week ago. The same methods as previously were used: very sparse scattering of gravel, then sprinkling of liquid tar. The picture below shows the method, as seen from the side of the road:


Last week, I expressed doubt about the treatment of where this new section transitions with the older one. I am afraid this part will erode fast. This is what it looks like now:

Lastly, I was surprised to see that the storm drains, which were built a few months ago, have been hammered down in several places. I reckon the reason is to make the flow of rainwater drain quicker, but I question the method:

I will keep following up on these works. I hope I'm wrong and the road will last. I'm afraid it won't, though, since the method used was the same that didn't work only a few months ago.

Ghana road works

Someone who read my previous post about roads in Ghana asked me whether I was visiting Ghana for the first time. No sir! I think he meant that I should know by now that this is "the way it works here" and that I should be "reasonable" and stop complaining about it or fighting the situation. With due respect, I think this gentleman was as wrong as one can be. Yielding to warped reasoning or practices is the worst thing one can do. In my opinion, a concerned citizen's duty is to denounce what doesn't work and expose the harm corrupt persons, at all levels, are doing to this country.

So, at the risk of being considered naive, I will keep commenting when I come across bent practices.


Yesterday I took the small section of Spintex Road I described in a previous post and saw people and machines hard at work. I didn't have my camera with me and had to take pictures with my mobile phone, hence the lesser quality of today's pictures, for which I apologise.


Grey gravel was being spread out and packed down. My laywoman question is whether one shouldn't be more consistent about it, especially at both ends of the section being reworked. Won't this part be weaker if not strictly delimited, the depth of gravel the same as on other sections of the road and the packing as strong as elsewhere? I'm just thinking alout here. As I said, I don't know a thing about road surfacing.


In several places, the laterite soil could be seen through the gravel. Won't this lead to foreseeable structural weaknesses later on?

Finally, and sometimes I feel like laughing it off, storm drains were put in place several months ago and when the soil was spread out, both laterite and grey gravel were pushed in the drains, filling them in parts, and several labourers were busy shoveling them out. Doing and undoing is still working and I understand they are paid by the day. As far as they are concerned, whatever the job is, it's still paid work.

Last night we had a very big rain again. I wonder how far the labourers had gone into freeing the drains from soil and gravel and what this section of the road looks like now. I'll try and make time to go and have a look today, if my (untarred) street is passable.

More comments and pictures soon!

Ghanaian road safety

Road safety has been a big topic in the Ghanaian news lately. Part of the many people expressing opinions blame it on the disregard of drivers for the road regulations and the state of repair of their vehicles, while others point to the dismal state of the roads to explain, at least partly, the many accidents we seem to read about in the papers every day. I think both claims are perfectly valid.


On April 2, 2009, I mentioned, in a post elsewhere, a specific section of Spintex Road that was recently resurfaced with a handful of gravel and a drizzle of liquid tar:

There is a stretch on Nungua link (the part of 'Spintex' between Coca Cola and Nungua junction) where potholes are a permanent fixture. What's funny (not so funny) is that they are not always the same. Heavy vehicles come now and then, scrap the surface, pack it down and about 3 weeks ago even sprinkled gravel and sparingly poured what looked like liquid tarmac on the gravel. It lasted all of 3 days and we are back with holes getting bigger and bigger and the red soil showing through the 'tarmac' (who are you kidding? I assure you the whole resurfacing was not more than 1/3 of an inch deep). Navigating through and around potholes is an art that requires concentration and the shortest lapse can send you into the car coming from the other way. Not mentioning the reflex action of flooring it once you are back on a half decent surface.

We all have dozens of similar examples. Is it really a deliberate policy to resurface roads in this very "temporary" manner? Or is there a budget for a decent resurfacing and after everyone even remotely involved has taken what they consider their rightful share this was all what remained for the work proper?

Last week, this section was cordonned off and traffic was diverted to allow for more "improvement" works.


As you may know, we had our first rains of the season in Accra yesterday and guess what: yesterday, this section (cordons removed) was back to its previous bumpy unsurfaced state. I am sorry I didn't take pictures of "before" and "after" but will go today and keep taking pictures, say every week, to monitor the situation. I don't exactly know where to post them in order to alert whomever can really have an impact. Any suggestion is welcome.

Today, surprise: heavy vehicles at work, again. I would be enthousiastic if I hadn't seen them several times over the last 18 months with no lasting results.


On a more positive note, I found myself stranded in Aflao yesterday after night fall and had to join a big bus (50+ seats) to Accra. It took us 5 solid hours, via the Keta road (the more direct road via Akatsi being a 50km nightmare) and many road blocks. I was impressed at how prudently and safely the driver behaved and abode by road regulations. Good behaviour is not very newsworthy but I felt only fair to mention it.

The following gives me no reason to rejoice though: I'm sorry to report that the driver and mate seemed to have to give something at every single road block on the way.