Eastern Region Cocoa Roads Project starts

Construction work under the cocoa roads project, which seeks to improve the road condition in the Eastern Region, is progressing steadily.
Contractors executing the projects under the Ministry of Roads and Highways, with supervision from the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA), the Department of Feeder Roads (DFR) and the Department of Urban Roads (DUR), have indicated that the various projects have reached various stages of construction.
The Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Antwi-Boasiako Sekyere, expressed satisfaction at the pace of work by some of the contractors at an inspection of the ongoing works.

A team of engineers from the GHA, DFR and the DUR accompanied the minister to inspect the progress of work on the roads; about five-hour inspection which saw them traversing the lengths and breadth of the region.
The government has been criticised by many, including traditional authorities, to court its attention to fix the deplorable road condition.

Projects inspected

Among some of the projects inspected were the reconstruction of the 33.6km Suhum-Asamankese, 24km Adeiso-Asamankese and 10km Asamankese-Osenase-Akwatia roads.
Mr Sekyere and his team also inspected ongoing works on the upgrading of the Aburi-Nsawam road, Aburi town roads, Asamankese town roads and a five km Suhum town road estimated at GH¢7.4 million.
At the various sites, personnel of the construction firms were found working on drains, which formed the initial construction works before the actual road works.
On other projects, the contractors had completed earthworks and were preparing to apply the primer seal.

Rationale

Mr Sekyere explained that his visit was to assess the progress of work and spur the contractors on to work towards completing the works on schedule.
He said it was also to see the kind of challenges the contractors faced, and the support they might require from his office for a quality and early completion of the works expected to transform and turn the fortunes for all road users, particularly those in that part of the country.
He explained that the works were in fulfilment of the government’s promises to the people of the Eastern Region to make their roads motorable for improved socio-economic activities.

More projects

He gave an assurance that the rest of the roads captured under either the phase one or two of the cocoa roads project would be tackled soon.
The acting Regional Director of the GHA, Mr Emmanuel Laryea Odai, said the enthusiasm of the contractors and their personnel indicated that they were up to the task and likely to complete the works on schedule.
“We are always on site to monitor the activities of the contractors to ensure that they are working according to specification,” he stated.
Similarly, the Regional Director of the DUR, Mr Frank Osei Sekyere, told the Daily Graphic that the department was also keeping an eye on its contractors to ensure that they worked according to specification.
Some members of the communities where the cocoa roads project was being executed expressed joy at the prospects of travelling on good tarred roads.