West Hill mall interchange underway
A stakeholder sensitisation forum on the construction of an interchange connecting the Accra-Cape Coast highway to the West Hills Mall at Dunkonah was held at Weija in Accra last Tuesday.
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The shopping centre, which is expected to be completed and opened this year, is a joint venture owned by Delico Property Investments Ghana Limited and Social Security & National Insurance Trust (SSNIT).
At the forum, a five-stage construction schedule designed to reduce traffic congestion in the area during construction was unveiled to residents and other stakeholders.
The interchange, expected to take 10 months to complete, and described as one of the most critical components of the West Hills Mall development, is being built in close collaboration with the Ghana Highway Authority(GHA) which approved its design and standard specifications.
The project has generated considerable public interest because of its size, location and the variety of add-ons, many of which are new to retail shopping in West Africa. West Hills Mall has an extended parking bay with a capacity for 1,400 cars.
The essence of the interchange
The interchange became necessary following stringent and meticulous traffic impact assessment conducted respectively by the developer and the (GHA).
Mr. Joshua Ayimbora, an engineering consultant on the project said the key component of the interchange was a bridge or a structure which will serve as an underpass from the highway to the Mall.
He said this bridge will be constructed in five phases and to ensure that traffic flow is not unduly affected by the works, two diversions will be constructed with two lanes in both directions and motorists will be adequately and constantly guided by a set of signage, notices and alarms.
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Explaining the design, Mr. Ayimbora said the interchange will have slipways which will enable motorists from Accra or Mallam to enter the service road for access to existing businesses and residential area to the North of the interchange while shoppers and visitors to the Mall may simply enter the slipway and continue through an underpass straight onto the Shopping mall’s car parking area while other commuters may be dropped off by busses and taxis at designated bus bays.
Shoppers from the cape coast approaching through the Kasoa end of the road will drive through the slipway and enter the shopping mall’s parking area while delivery vehicles from that direction will use the service road located west of the Mall.
Mr. Isaac Kyei Mensah, representing Delico Property Developments said the completion of the Mall will redefine the local community's business and recreational topography and open up the entire western part of Accra to a new world of opportunities.
The forum was attended by local residents, representatives from Ghana Highway Authority, the Ga South Municipal Assembly, The Weija District Police Command, Chiefs and Elders of neighbouring communities and the Member of Parliament fror the area, bright dzimoje.
Located at Dunkonah in western Accra, just off the Accra-Kasoa-Cape Coast highway, the West Hill Mall development comes with a mix of local and international tenants and has two supermarket anchor tenants, some 65 line shops, a chain of restaurants and a five-screen cinema complex. Industry watchers have touted the new development as possibly the biggest retail shopping centre in West Africa on account of its massive rentable space. Among tenants already lined up for business at the West Hills Mall when it is completed later this year are Shoprite, Palace, Edgars, Mr Price, Woolworth, Jet, MTN, Stanbic, Barcellos, Foods Inn, Basillia, Tante Marie, Bata Pierre Cardin, Lufian, Truworth and Identity.