The Overhead bridge at the Tetteh Quarshie Interchange will be opened to traffic on February 28, to enable the contractor to complete work on roads linking it, the Chief Executive of the Ghana Highway Authority, Mr Eric Oduro-Konadu, has said.

He stated that the opening of the bridge would reduce traffic build-up by 40 per cent.Mr Oduro- Konadu, who made this known at a press briefing, explained that when the interchange was finally completed and opened,it would reduce traffic build-up in the area by 80 per cent.

?The remaining 20 per cent traffic jam would be caused by internal movement,such as breakdown vehicles,slow driving on the part of some drivers and the single lane roads that lead to the interchange?,he said.He announced that the government had secured a $22-million loan from the Saudi Fund and the Arab Bank for Economic Development of Africa (BADEA) to construct the three-lane dual carriage way from Madina to Pantang.

Mr John Osei-Asamoah,Chief Director of the Ministry of Roads and Transport,said that the government was also sourcing funds to construct a three-lane dual carriageway from the interchange to Mallam.

He explained that the interchange formed part of a stage development plan of the government that would see to it that roads leading to the interchange were widened to reduce traffic jam.He noted that the construction of the intrechange would remove the convergence points which had been the main sources of traffic.

Mr Osei Asamoah stated that the original estimates for the various roads, which are yet to be constructed, would change since other things were being added.For instance, he said the estimate for the road from the interchange through Legon would change because an interchange at the University of Ghana, Legon, which was not part of the original plan, would be constructed.