Accra-Kumasi road: Galamsey impedes 3 bypass constructions
Illegal mining activities are said to have affected the progress of work on three of four bypasses on the Accra-Kumasi highway.
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The bypasses at Osino, Anyinam, Enyiresi and Konongo form a major part of the central corridor road project, but the contractors have cited illegal mining activities around the Osino, Enyinam and Enyiresi projects as impacting their overall delivery.
The contractors said the mining activities had made the soil soggy, requiring more filling to make the road compact and that, they stressed, had caused a delay in the project timelines.
They stated this during an interaction with the Minister of Roads and Highways, Francis Asenso-Boakye, during a tour of the project sites last Thursday to ascertain the progress of work on the project.
The contractors, however, maintained that they were working around the clock to ensure that they delivered the contract on schedule.
Osino project
Dolittle Kwaku Sintim-Aboagye, the Project Lead for STIM Ltd, contractor for the Osino bypass project, said the work demanded more materials to treat the soil before the start of the main construction on the project.
He said the situation had ultimately affected the design of the project as the ponds left by the miners needed to be decommissioned as part of the entire process. The company was supervising the construction of 11.6 kilometres (km) of the Osino South-bound bypass on the Apedwa-Ejisu section of the Accra-Kumasi road.
It formed part of the 160-km Apedwa-Ejisu road dualisation project intended to enhance socio-economic activities on the central corridor of the country. The project commenced on June 15, 2023, and was expected to be completed on December 14, 2025.
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Aside from the challenge of mining activities, Mr Sintim-Aboagye said there were issues with compensation for some affected property owners along the project area, particularly farmers.
He said the Ghana Highways Authority was handling the compensation issues with the crop farmers. So far, he said, about 45 per cent of work had been done on the project.
Anyinam
On the Anyinam project, the consultant on the project, David Brobbe, also cited similar issues as some of the challenges faced by the contractor. Mr Brobbe said the pits along the construction path meant more laterite was needed to level the ground.
He said some illegal developments had started springing up along the project site, which, he said, needed the government’s intervention. Mr Brobbe said there were also some low-hanging high-tension cables that needed to be relocated to enable the contractor to have unimpeded access, adding that work done on the project so far covered about 73 per cent.
Satisfied
Mr Asenso-Boakye said he was fairly satisfied with the progress of work done so far. He acknowledged that the challenge faced by the contractors might have a small effect on the completion timelines, but expressed the hope that the projects would be delivered on schedule.
He said apart from the bypasses, the government was also delivering other interventions within the corridor to improve transportation along the corridor and with relevant neighbouring communities.
These interventions, the minister said, included the provision of underpasses and overpasses, culverts and a 40-metre bridge over the Birim River.