Govt will fix roads – Minister reiterates

The Minister of Roads and Highways, Kwasi Amoako-Atta, has assured of the government’s commitment to fix roads in the country in order to promote socio-economic development and reduce the spate of accidents.

He gave the assurance when he inspected rehabilitation works on the Kwafokrom to Apedwa junction dual carriage road in the Eastern Region.

The 31.7-kilometer road forms part of the Accra-Kumasi Highway Dualisation project that was awarded in 2008 but was abandoned due to a lack of funds.

The government in 2017 revived the project that saw the contractor, Messrs. China International Water and Electric Company Limited completing the Kumasi –Accra bound section.

Work has also started on the Accra-Kumasi stretch with about 65 percent of work already completed.

When the minister and his team visited the project site yesterday, the contractor was laying asphalt on the road at Apedwa junction with the site engineer, MrAprekuAnaniAppiah, assuring that the project would be completed in March next year.

Mr. Amoako-Atta said he was satisfied with the output of work but urged the contractor to work day and night in order to complete the project in December this year.

According to him, the government was facilitating the release of funds to contractors and urged them to reciprocate the gesture by expediting action on their projects in order to reduce accidents on the country’s roads.

The minister indicated that the government’s agenda to dualise all highways was on course, stating that the Accra to Kumasi, the Accra -Cape Coast to Elubo, and Tema-Akosombo projects have all started and expressed optimism that they would be completed before 2024.’’

“Substantial amount of money has been released to the contractors and more would be released to ensure that road projects started were completed on schedule,” ’he added.

Mr. Amoako-Atta cautioned that no excuses would be entertained for delayed work on projects.

The minister also inspected some equipment of the contractor, MraipomaConstruction Limited working on the 17-kilometer Ofankor-Nsawam road.

According to him, plans were far advanced for the works to begin which would include five interchanges, 11 overpasses, and the roads would be transformed into ten lanes with five lanes on each side.

Mr. Amoako-Atta said as a first step, the contractor would repair the damaged portions of the road to ensure free flow of traffic, while final discussions were being made for work to commence.

“The contractors have fully mobilised to site, they must be commended that is the type of commitment the government led by the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo expects from contractors,” he stated.

BY LAWRENCE VOMAFA-AKPALU