Complete road projects before December - Roads Minister charges contractors

Construction firms working on road projects in the Greater Accra Region have been encouraged to accelerate their efforts to meet deadlines ahead of December.

This is because, fast-tracking the projects would help improve the road conditions, riding quality, as well as connectivity and accessibility ahead of the December election.

The Minister of Roads and Transport, Francis Asenso-Boakye, made the call when he inspected various road projects in four municipalities in the Greater Accra Region last Wednesday to assess the progress of work on the road networks and the interventions being implemented by the government.

Mr Asenso-Boakye told journalists that the road projects in the Greater Accra Region are part of the government's commitment to enhancing road infrastructure across the country, hence the need to encourage the contractors to deliver on time.

He inspected road construction projects in the Ga West, Ga East, Ga Central and Ga North Municipalities, where he expressed satisfaction with the progress of work.

The minister undertook the inspection together with officials from the Department of Urban Roads, the Department of Feeder Roads and the Ghana Highways Authority.

Ga West

Mr Asenso Boakye’s first stop was at the Ga West Municipality where he inspected the rehabilitation work on the 3-Junction – Kojo Ashong Road and the Kwashiekuma to Ayikai Doblo link road. 

The 24.5-kilometer stretch, awarded to the Memphis Metropolitan Limited in May, was five per cent completed and is expected to be completed by the end of the year. 

Some of the ongoing projects include drainage works (12.34km of drains and culverts of various sizes), the strengthening of base material and primer seal.

The engineer on site explained that they are undertaking the project in stages due to the heavy traffic in the area to be able to complete all three layers on time.

“We are doing three layers but we want to hold the first seal so we don’t have any issues before we move to the next 5km so that it will not disturb the flow of traffic in the area. That is the company’s plan to make sure we are on track. We are hoping that in the next two months, about 20 per cent will be done,” he said.

Fixed Kojo Ashong bridge

The minister also inspected the recently repaired bailey bridge linking Kojo Ashong and Kwashiekuma. He had previously directed its reconstruction during his visit to the site in May, due to its poor condition.

 “I am happy to come back to see the Kojo Ashong bridge fully rehabilitated and in good shape and motorists are using it and they are happy,”  the Minister stated.

The Municipal Chief Executive of the Ga West Municipal Assembly, Clement Wilkinson advocated the 3km 3-Junction to Ayikai Doblo road, which is a more urbanised road to be worked on in addition to the 21km stretch to bring relief to residents.

“Within the 24 kilometres, we have about 3km from 3-Junction to Ayikai Doblo which is not part of the 24km. Meanwhile, that is the main road that everybody is using so we are pleading that they do reshaping on the 3km to make it useful to the people,” Mr Wilkinson said.

Timelines

At Trobu in the Ga North Constituency, the minister urged contractors to expedite work in preparation for the December election. This request followed a statement from Ebenezer Owusu, the engineer for Dapori Construction Company, who indicated that his team planned to complete their work by December.

Dapori Construction, which was awarded the project for 2.5 km of Nuumo Ntreh, Cinnamon Cherry, Just Here and Liberation Streets in Mile 7, has committed to finishing their work by December.

 “By the end of November or December, we will finish the gravel works from filling to the base. By December, we will get it done,” Mr Owusu said.

 “This area is very important to the government. Whatever it is that is hindering you to finish the work, let us know. The timelines are very important. Even if you can push everything to November, it will be better. This is a high volume area and the people are suffering so let’s do something about it. We are coming to have an election and we need to finish the projects on time,” Mr Asenso-Boakye said.

The Minister and his team also visited the Ga East Municipality to inspect the partial reconstruction of various roads and drainage systems in the area. 

Accompanied by Michael Aaron Oquaye Jnr., the aspiring Member of Parliament for the Dome Kwabenya Constituency, the minister toured sites from Ashongman Estate Pure Water through ECOMOG to the Dome Market, where the District Road Improvement Project (DRIP) is currently underway.

Madina- Atomic Junction overhead

The minister wrapped up his inspection at the Madina-Atomic Junction overhead, where engineers had started repairs on the damaged expansion joints of the road.

The two sets of 13 expansion joints, built over the years and used overtime, had deformed with the contract for replacement awarded to the Ghana Highway Authority, the specialised contractors of bridge maintenance works.

During the inspection, the Project Manager, Aaron Amponsah, noted that his team plans to complete the work within the next 20 days, starting with the Accra-bound section in 10 days, followed by the Madina-bound section, which will take an additional 10 days.

“We have 13 expansion joints and almost all of them are deformed and we started the preparations last week. As part of the traffic management control, we are going to work from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. every day for 20 days but Sundays. We are going to close to traffic so that we will have enough time to complete it,” he said.