Residents relieved as work resumes on Kotokrom-Yawhima road
Motorists and residents of Kotokrom and Yawhima in the Bono Region will now heave a sigh of relief after the completion of one side of the 10-kilometre Kotokrom-Yawhima dual carriageway.
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For more than 10 years, residents and commuters have had to contend with the dusty and deplorable nature of the road which connects the Bono and Bono East regions. Health facilities and schools, including businesses operating along the stretch, were closed down due to the dusty nature of the road.
There were frequent road accidents that posed danger to residents, pedestrians and commuters. The road, which is considered one of the critical roads in the region, was bumpy, and riddled with potholes and dust, threatening the health of residents living along that stretch.
The nature of the road made driving difficult and dangerous, with its attendant adverse effects on the health of commuters and vehicles.
Demonstrations
Residents living along the stretch, drivers and other transport unions plying the road on several occasions staged peaceful demonstrations in the area to protest against the state of the road.
Some of the workers busily dressing up the road at the time of visit
In one of the demonstrations in May 2019, 46 protestors were arrested for staging an unlawful demonstration. The National Democratic Congress (NDC) awarded the contract for the reconstruction of the road in 2016 before it left office.
Upon assumption of office in 2017, the current government re-awarded the project to another contractor. However, work on it experienced several setbacks and uncountable delays.
Work resumes
However, the contractor working on the road resumed work on Saturday, March 16, 2024, after it was abandoned as a result of the lack of funds. The contractor, SAMES Limited, first resumed work in December last year, during which he managed to complete the prima sealing and was expected to commence the final seal in a few weeks before it had financial challenges.
However, a few days after funds were released to the contractor, he completed one side of the road and opened it to commuters. When the Daily Graphic visited the road on Tuesday, the contractor was still on-site monitoring and addressing a few challenges on portions of the road.
Some of the residents who spoke to the Daily Graphic commended the Member of Parliament (MP) for Sunyani East, Kwasi Ameyaw-Cheremeh, for lobbying to ensure the completion of one side of the road.
However, they appealed to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to complete the entire stretch before the end of this tenure.
MCE’s response
Responding to the appeal made by residents to the President, the Sunyani Municipal Chief Executive, Ansu Kumi, said the government had released enough funds to complete the entire road.
He assured that the contractor would soon move to work on the other side of the road. He said the poor state of the road was a major concern and nightmare to political heads of the region, particularly Mr Ameyaw-Cheremeh.
Mr Kumi said the contractor was also working on another five-kilometre Bono Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) Road, as well as the Sunyani Estate roads. Moreover, the Site Engineer of SAMES Constructions Ltd, Dominick Afriyie, told the Daily Graphic that the work done so far was of good quality.
He pledged the company's commitment to produce quality work and explained that the contractor had enough construction materials to complete the entire road. At the time of the visit, Mr Afriyie said by the following week, the contractor would move to the other side of the road to commence work.
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