Construction crews have finally moved onto the McCarthy-Mallam Junction stretch of the Accra-Cape Coast Highway, commencing rehabilitation works that commuters hope will end months of crippling congestion, vehicle damage, and perilous driving conditions along one of Ghana’s busiest corridors.
A Citi News visit on Sunday, October 25, confirmed that work was underway on the deteriorated stretch, offering tentative relief to motorists who have endured journeys of more than two hours on a route that should take minutes. The highway serves as a critical artery connecting Kasoa, Winneba, and Weija-Gbawe to key parts of Accra, including Kaneshie, Odorkor, and Dansoman.
Political Pressure Preceded Intervention
The commencement of repairs follows sustained advocacy from local leadership and frustrated road users. On October 19, 2026, Jerry Ahmed Shaib, Member of Parliament for Weija-Gbawe and Second Deputy Minority Whip, petitioned the Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwame Governs Agbodza, demanding urgent intervention.
In his petition, Shaib painted a stark picture of the commute, noting that a journey that should ordinarily take about three minutes between Weija Junction and Mallam had been stretching to more than two hours due to extensive potholes and a severely degraded road surface. He emphasized that beyond daily inconvenience, the road’s condition posed significant risks to access to essential services, specifically highlighting the potential impact on patients and staff traveling to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and the Cocoa Clinic. He urged the Ghana Highway Authority to not only conduct immediate repairs but also implement a long-term solution involving proper drainage and resurfacing to prevent a recurrence.
A Corridor in Crisis
The rehabilitation work addresses a crisis that had deepened significantly in recent months. Earlier reports in July 2026 highlighted how the SCC-Old Barrier stretch, a component of the Kasoa-Mallam corridor, had been reduced from a three-lane road to a single usable lane in several areas due to failed sections and persistent flooding.
The situation was exacerbated by wastewater flowing onto the carriageway from the Bortianor and Red Top communities after a major drainage channel near Noble House became clogged with silt. This continuous flow of water weakened the asphalt, creating deep potholes and waterlogged sections that forced motorists to slow to a crawl or veer into oncoming traffic to avoid damage, raising the risk of head-on collisions.
The human and economic toll was severe. Commercial drivers reported reduced daily trips and increased maintenance costs for suspension and tyre repairs, while commuters described spending hours in gridlock. One military officer working at the 37 Military Hospital told Citi News she had resorted to leaving home at 4:00 a.m. just to report for duty by 6:00 a.m. The congestion at Mallam Junction, a major convergence point, often compounded delays from the SCC-Old Barrier stretch, creating a continuous gridlock corridor that turned a typical one-hour journey from Kasoa into a three-to-four-hour ordeal.
Outlook
While the sight of construction equipment on the McCarthy-Mallam stretch has been welcomed by frustrated road users, residents remain hopeful that the intervention will prove durable. Previous advocacy by local media, including Citi FM’s Citi Breakfast Show, had amplified commuters’ plight, calling for both immediate fixes and a permanent engineering solution to the corridor’s drainage and structural issues. For now, the focus remains on whether the current works will sufficiently restore traffic flow and safety on one of Ghana’s most vital transport routes.
