Takoradi-Cape Coast road dualisation starts - President cuts sod

The dualisation of the Takoradi-Cape Coast section of the National Highway One (N1) is set to begin after President John Dramani Mahama cut the sod for the commencement of construction works.

The sod-cutting ceremony yesterday, which took place at an event in Assorku Essaman in the Shama District in the Western Region, signals the government's commitment to fulfilling its promise of enhancing the country's road infrastructure to boost economic growth and regional connectivity.

The 73.6-kilometre project is expected to transform road transport along one of the busiest commercial routes in the country, boost economic activities within the catchment area, and leave in its wake a trail of important complementary facilities and amenities.

To be funded under the Big Push plan, the government’s blueprint for road development and improvement, it is another leg of the extended N1 Corridor that stretches from Aflao on the Ghana-Togo border to Elubo on the Ghana-Cote d’Ivoire border.

President Mahama, who is on a one-day working visit to the Western Region, described the project as a critical component of the government's broader infrastructure development agenda, aimed at facilitating trade, improving road safety, and reducing travel time along the coast.

President Mahama said the Big Push project, which was to close the country’s yawning infrastructure gap, was a $2 billion a year investment for five years to include roads, sports and recreation, schools and health.

He said the Takoradi- Cape Coast road was a critical project as it had outlived its usefulness and caused a lot of accidents, hence the need to modernise it to improve the productivity of both the Central and Western regions.

The project involves the expansion of the existing single-carriageway into a modern, dual-carriageway highway, complete with improved drainage systems, pedestrian walkways, and safety features.

It is expected to significantly ease the perennial traffic congestion experienced on the route, especially during peak periods.

“This is going to be a modern dual-carriageway, instead of the single passage and there is going to be interchanges so that we create traffic separation, so that the accidents we see on this road would be a thing of the past,” President Mahama said.

Durbar

President Mahama was accompanied by the Minister of Roads and Highways, Governs Kwame Agbodza; the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Emelia Arthur, who is also the Member of

Parliament for Shama; the Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh; the Western Regional Minister, Joseph Nelson, and other senior government officials.

Also present were traditional leaders, led by the Paramount Chief of Essikado and President of the Western Region House of Chiefs, Nana Kobina Nketsia V; the Chief of Assorku Essaman, Nana Kofi Ewuah V, and members of the public who expressed their elation at the commencement of the project, which they believe will bring immense socio-economic benefits to the region.

The dualisation of the Takoradi-Cape Coast highway is a key infrastructural priority for the government and forms part of the larger vision to create a seamless and efficient road network across the country.

Earlier in his working visit, President Mahama inspected works on the Western Regional Hospital Project site at Apemanim, Effia Nkwanta Hospital and the Public Health Reference Laboratory.

At Apemanim, he announced the immediate resumption of work on the stalled Western Regional Hospital project in the Ahanta West District.

The President directed the contractor and project managers to ensure the facility was completed and delivered within a strict 18-month timeline.

It is part of the government’s policy to ensure that no project started by the previous government is abandoned.

Best roads

Mr Agbodza said the project was the third under the Big Push initiative and that the contractors had been carefully chosen and given orientation to do quality work, with many of them Ghanaian contractors.

“We are going to construct the best roads the country has ever seen,” Mr Agbodza declared.

He appealed to the contractors to employ the many qualified young people and professionals from the region, as part of the skills development project.

The Roads Minister also entreated motorists to support projects, urging them to eschew excessive litigation to frustrate the project, saying there were regulations to enable them to get compensation.