Traffic congestion builds up on the Accra-Kumasi Highway after an articulated truck blocked both lanes at Birimso near Bunso.
If you are currently planning a road trip between Accra and Kumasi, or if you have family members currently traveling along Ghana's busiest transit corridor, you will want to read this immediately.
A major highway emergency has completely halted regular traffic flow on the Accra-Kumasi Highway (N6). A massive articulated truck has completely blocked both lanes of the road at Birimso, a well-known community located near Bunso in the East Akim Municipality of the Eastern Region.
The Ghana Police Service, in coordination with the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) and local emergency dispatch teams, has officially activated emergency traffic diversions to keep motorists moving. However, heavy gridlock has already built up stretching back several kilometers in both directions.
Here is everything you need to know about the cause of the blockage, the official alternative routes you need to take right now, and practical safety tips to keep you safe while navigating the diversion points.
What Happened at Birimso?
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| An articulated truck obstruction on a major highway can bring traffic movement to a complete standstill, requiring heavy recovery equipment. |
The incident occurred during the early hours of the morning when a heavy-duty articulated truck, fully loaded with industrial cargo, experienced a severe mechanical failure while attempting to navigate a curved, slightly inclined section of the highway at Birimso.
According to eyewitnesses and initial situational updates from highway patrol officers, the truck suddenly lost traction and rolled backward. The driver attempted a defensive steering maneuver to avoid plunging into a ditch, causing the massive trailer to jackknife.
[ Lanes to Kumasi ] ===================================
\=======[ ARTICULATED TRUCK ]======= (Blocked)
[ Lanes to Accra ] ===================================
Because of the sheer length and weight of the vehicle, the jackknifed trailer ended up lying perfectly perpendicular across the asphalt, completely sealing off both the Accra-bound and Kumasi-bound lanes. Thankfully, no fatalities or severe injuries have been reported, but the physical obstruction has made it entirely impossible for standard vehicles, buses, or VIP coaches to pass through the main Birimso stretch.
Official Traffic Diversions: How to Route Your Journey
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| MTTD officers guide motorists through alternative routes while emergency teams work to clear the highway obstruction. |
To prevent the entire highway from locking down completely, the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service has set up mandatory diversion checkpoints on both sides of the blockage. Emergency heavy-duty towing trucks have been dispatched to the scene, but clearing a vehicle of this scale takes significant time.
If you are on the road right now, here are the exact alternative routes being enforced by traffic wardens:
1. Travelers Heading from Accra to Kumasi
If you are driving upward from Accra, you will be intercepted by police officers just as you approach the Bunso Junction area.
The Diversion Route: You will be redirected to turn left onto the Bunso-Begoro road or use the Old Tafo-Kukurantumi axis.
The Re-entry point: This alternative loop will carry you safely around the Birimso bottleneck, allowing you to re-emerge onto the main highway further up north past Anyinam, where you can smoothly resume your journey toward the Ashanti Region.
2. Travelers Heading from Kumasi to Accra
For motorists traveling down toward the capital, traffic is being filtered off early to prevent vehicles from getting trapped in the long tailback.
The Diversion Route: You will be directed to divert at Anyinam or Kwabeng. Motorists are advised to utilize the interior bypass roads through Kukurantumi, connecting down toward the Effiduase-Junction or the main Koforidua highway networks.
The Re-entry point: This route will bring you out safely at the Suhum or Kyebi junctions, completely bypassing the blocked Birimso zone.
3 Critical Tips for Motorists Stuck in the Gridlock
Navigating an emergency highway diversion in Ghana can be incredibly stressful, especially along a high-volume route like the N6. If you find yourself caught in the congestion, keep these three essential safety rules in mind:
Avoid Illegal Driving on the Shoulder: When traffic slows down, the temptation to jump onto the unpaved shoulder of the road is incredibly high. Doing this is highly dangerous. It blocks the path for arriving emergency recovery vehicles, ambulances, and police tow trucks trying to reach the crash site to clear the obstruction. Stay in your lane and follow the direction of the MTTD officers.
Expect Delays and Manage Passenger Expectations: If you are traveling via commercial transport (like a VIP bus or a local trotro), keep in mind that these diversions will easily add between 45 minutes to an hour and a half to your overall travel time. The interior diversion roads are narrower and cannot handle high speeds, so patience is key.
Turn on Your Hazard Lights When Approaching the Queue: The tailback of stopped vehicles has grown rapidly. If you are approaching the Birimso area and notice vehicles suddenly slowing down ahead of you, immediately activate your hazard lights to warn drivers behind you who might not see the gridlock yet.
The Broader Issue: The Urgent Need for N6 Dualization
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Calls continue for the expansion and modernization of the Accra-Kumasi Highway to improve safety and reduce traffic disruptions. |
While emergency teams work hard on the ground to cut through the metal and tow the articulated truck off the asphalt, this incident highlights a much larger, ongoing conversation among Ghanaian motorists: the urgent necessity of completely dualizing the Accra-Kumasi Highway.
Because large sections of the N6 remain a single, shared two-lane road, a single mechanical breakdown, a flat tire on an industrial truck, or a minor fender bender at a tight spot like Birimso completely severs the economic artery connecting the capital city to the middle and northern belts of the nation.
Complete dualization—ensuring separate, dedicated multi-lane structural pathways for both directions—would mean that even if a massive truck jackknifes in one lane, traffic could easily be filtered into an adjacent lane without bringing thousands of citizens, business travelers, and cargo supply chains to a total standstill.
Stay Tuned for Real-Time Road Updates
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| Emergency teams work around the clock to restore normal traffic flow and ensure motorists’ safety. |
Emergency services are currently working on-site, using specialized cutting gear and heavy winches to adjust the position of the trailer so that at least one single lane can be opened to clear the trapped cars before nightfall.
If your journey is not strictly time-sensitive, you might want to consider delaying your departure from Accra or Kumasi by a few hours, or choosing the alternative Accra-Hohoe-Kumasi route via the Eastern region interior if you want to completely avoid the N6 corridor for the day.
Drive safely, look out for the flashing red and blue lights of our police patrol teams, and let’s keep our roads safe!