Work progresses on Eastern corridor roads
Work is progressing steadily on the Eastern corridor road project, a vital infrastructure development aimed at enhancing connectivity and economic growth in the country.
The projects are made of three lots, namely the Ashaiman Roundabout to Atimpoku Road expansion and construction, the Dufor Adidome to Asikuma Junction Road, and the Asutuare to Aveyime Road.
This came to light when the Minister of Roads and Highways, Governs Kwame Agbodza, and a team from the ministry and its agency, the Ghana Highways Authority (GHA), were briefed on the progress of the project last Tuesday.
Ashaiman-Atimpoku road
The Ashaiman-Atimpoku project, a 64-kilometre (km) road stretch which stalled in 2023 due to the domestic debt restructuring, restarted in January this year under the same company, INZAG GmbH, a German construction company.
Briefing the delegation, the Chief Residence Engineer, Kwabena Bempong, told the team that the work done was currently at 17 per cent and the projection was for it to be completed in 2027.
He indicated that the dual carriageway project, which would cost €256 million, was made up of a flyover at the Ashaiman Roundabout, an interchange at Asutuare Junction, 11 pedestrian footbridges, three river bridges, drainage structures and walkways.
On challenges facing the project, Mr Bempong indicated that some billboards erected along the roads were interfering with work, for which he courted the minister’s support.
The engineer said there would be a need for the extension of time as the earlier contract had expired, with work currently ongoing without any legal framework.
Concerning the Dufor Adidome–Asikuma Junction and Asutsuare–Aveyime roads, the Resident Engineer, Ato Kakraba, told the Minister and his team that the two stretches, measuring 39.2km and 23.9km, would have two separate interchanges and roadside markets.
He said the work done was 18 per cent as against the planned 20.41 per cent for June 2025.
He said the two-lane single-carriage double surfacing bituminous road project was started by the China Jiangxi International Eco & Technology Cooperation Company Ltd in December last year and was expected to be completed in December 2026 at $53.6 million.
It would comprise an interchange at Asikuma, six bridges, 48 culverts, 6km side drains and 15,000 square metres open ditch with stone pitching drain and earth works, Mr Kakraba indicated.
“We have some compensations to pay to some farmers and permanent structures that will be affected by the project in the Aveyime Town Road and Asutsuare Roundabout.
“At Asikuma, we have structures such as the Shell filling station, Ash Foam Building and others that we need to pay compensation for,” he said.
Assurance, commitment
The Minister of Roads and Highways assured the two companies of government’s commitment to see the completion of the two projects that were considered critical projects under the government’s flagship Big Push programme.
Mr Agbodza, however, expressed little satisfaction with the maintenance works of the companies, indicating that it was part of the contracts awarded to them.
He indicated that if the companies failed to undertake maintenance works, any such costs presented for payment would not be honoured.
He emphasised that government would ensure that affected persons were duly compensated for the smooth progression of the project.
Mr Agbodza, however, lamented the difficulty faced by contractors on the Ashaiman Roundabout, where the traffic situation was usually heavy due to some billboards erected in the right-of-way.
The Minister urged the contractors to remove them under his direction and fear no lawsuit.
“If the assembly took money from an advertising company to put a billboard in the right of way, we should be surcharging the assembly, not them telling us that we should pay for it because they’re part of the government,” Mr Agbodza stated.
