Demolition of Adenta-Dodowa Road structures for road construction: Lessons from the painful scenes for all Ghanaians

The demolition of Adenta-Dodowa road structures for major road construction is an expensive move that has destabilized homes, businesses, and thousands of lives.
I have watched with pain the ongoing demolition of structures by the roadside from Adenta to Dodowa to pave the way for the construction of the anticipated road. While the construction of the road is timely, there are bitter lessons that every Ghanaian seeking to own a property or a piece of land by the road must learn.
Demolition of Adenta-Dodowa Road structures for road construction: Lessons from the painful scenes for all Ghanaians
How will you feel to see your 2-storey building, which is nearing completion, being marked for demotion to make way for major road construction?
How can you salvage a five-story building that must lose its corridors from the 4th floor to the ground floor for the road construction to commence? What can you save? Nothing; it is indeed a helpless situation for everyone on this stretch of road known for its intense traffic situation.
While such pieces of land are economically viable, the proactiveness and due diligence of the buyers and sellers cannot be thrown to the dogs.
Storey buildings, filling stations, malls, clinics, and many business offices have been lost. Those who work for these businesses have also lost their jobs. Since these businesses will now have to look for new locations, many of them may find locations so far away from the streets. They will end up losing customers. The possibility that some of these businesses will collapse as a result of the need to construct the road is high.
All manner of structures, from simple chambers and halls to kiosks, business centres, storey buildings, old and new buildings, and just-completed edifices yet to be occupied, are all being raised down and a few things saved by the owners before the contractors come to sight.
Some landowners and businesses affected deserve what they are suffering now because they know very well where their land boundaries end, yet since there is supposed to be no man’s land in front of them, they quickly put up stores and extend their walls into the land area, which will become a major road later. Now, they have to lose nearly all their sunk costs in such buildings.
Do not invest in a house or a building very close to the road without considering the plan for the town and the road. In addition to people losing their homes, many of the businesses that were lining the main road are now completely gone, and people living along this stretch of road are already experiencing the negative effects of not having these businesses around. You just cannot get anything to buy.
At the time of filing this report, there were several 2-storey to 5-storey buildings that have been marked for demolition, but the owners had yet to take action to demolish them. Some of these buildings must lose between 3 and 7 metres to pave the way for the road construction. Any effort by owners will not yield any good results; hence, they are waiting for the road contractors to come and demolish these beautiful edifices.
Lessons and Advice.
#1. If your house or business is so close to the main road, you must be worried because one day it may be raised down to pave the way for the construction of the road in the area.
#2. If there is a road in front of your residence, be informed that the basic rule for roads is that, at any point in time, two trucks that transport sand should bypass each other on that road without struggling. If this is not the case for the road in front of your house, one day that road will come to life, and you will have to demolish or lose your investment in your landed properties on the road.
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#3. Be extra careful when buying land by the road; if not, someone will sell the road to you in the name of the land. You must always check with the Land Commission to see if you are buying a safe place or not.
#4. The way homes and businesses have started demolishing and saving what they can suggests that they were given ample notification. According to our sources, some landowners in the affected areas received compensation for their properties long ago.
The hope of all and sundry is that this road will be started soon and completed on time because the traffic situation on this road is worrying. Those who live in the major towns along the road are hoping the road construction does not worsen their plight.
Report by: Wisdom HAMMOND | Ghanaeducation.org