Persistent rains that fell throughout Monday brought parts of Accra to a standstill, causing heavy vehicular traffic and leaving hundreds of commuters stranded at the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange.
The downpour, which started early in the morning and continued into this evening, flooded several roads and slowed movement on major routes out of the city.
Passengers heading to Amasaman, Kasoa, Dansoman, La, Teshie, Pokuase, and Madina were among the worst hit, with commercial vehicles moving at a crawl or unable to access their usual routes.
Many workers said they left the office as early as 3 p.m. in an attempt to beat the usual rush hour traffic, but still got stuck for hours at the interchange.
“I left at 3:30 p.m. hoping to get home before 6 p.m. It’s now past 5:30 p.m. and I’m still here,” one stranded passenger told fmnewsonline.com at the interchange.
Commercial drivers blamed the congestion on flooded lanes, stalled vehicles, and the reduced flow of traffic at key intersections.
The situation was worsened as Amasaman, Pokuase and other long distance drivers are doing what is called Tot-tot loading, thus is one car loading from Circle to Achimota and the same car from Achimota to Ofonkor Barrier to Pokuase, to Amasaman and then to Nsawam, putting financial burden on passengers.
The Kwame Nkrumah Interchange, a major transit point for commuters traveling to Accra’s western, eastern, and northern suburbs, became a bottleneck as passengers waited for trotro and buses that were delayed or unable to operate.
Some commuters eventually abandoned the wait and opted to trek portions of their journey with the hope to get one on the way.
Accra experiences similar traffic disruptions during heavy rains each year, with drainage challenges and road conditions contributing to the gridlock.
As of late afternoon, traffic on several routes remained slow, and commuters were advised to exercise caution.
Metrological authorities have urged residents to monitor weather updates and plan movements carefully during periods of heavy rainfall.
