Government to embark on massive road projects
The government is to embark on a massive road expansion across the country within the next four years, President John Dramani Mahama has announced.
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He said the expansion of the roads was to facilitate transportation and ease congestion in urban areas.
President Mahama gave the hint yesterday during an inspection of a 17-kilometre (km) road project which stretches from Awoshie, a suburb of Accra, to Pokuase in the Greater Accra Region.
The project is targeted at improving mobility on the Awoshie-Pokuase corridor by linking commuters from Nsawam in the Eastern Region through Awoshie to the N1 Highway.
The Agence Francaisse Development (AFD) is funding road works on section one, which is a three-kilometre road between Awoshie and Anyaa in Accra, at a cost of GH¢30.36 million, while the African Development Bank (AfDB) is funding the roads on section two, which is a 14-kilometre stretch between Anyaa and Pokuase at a cost of GH¢77.03 million.
In addition, the AFD is funding the construction of secondary roads and water distribution lines along the corridor, while the AfDB is responsible for the construction of 14 schools, several boreholes, a lorry park and a market at Anyaa, as well as a hospital at Ofankor and an accident centre at Amasaman.
President Mahama noted that in view of the increasing population and congestion in urban areas, particularly in Accra, it was crucial for the government to create alternative routes to facilitate the movement of people and goods.
Touching on the Awoshie-Pokuase road project, the President said when completed the road would serve as an alternative route for many motorists who would want to connect to Nsawam and other parts of the country.
Besides, he said, the construction of schools, markets, clinics and lorry parks along the corridor of Awoshie and Pokuase would make a significant impact on the lives of the people.
President Mahama expressed satisfaction with the pace of work so far and expressed the hope that the whole stretch would be completed by the end of 2014.
He directed the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Mr Seth Terkper, to release money for the payment of compensation to people whose property were affected by the project.
Giving details of the project, the acting Director of Urban Roads, Alhaji Abass Awolu, said work on the three-kilometre Awoshie-Anyaa section, which started on January 6, 2013, involves the construction of a three-lane dual carriageway with service lanes on either side of the road.
The contractor working on the project, China Jiangxi Corporation, will construct footbridges at pedestrian crossing points.
Alhaji Awolu said the work was 80 per cent complete, and indicated that the major challenge on the project was encroachment.
Despite the challenge, he said, the work would be completed by December, 2013.
Work on the 14-kilometre road from Anyaa to Pokuase, which started in November 2011, is a two-by-two dual carriageway for the first 10 kilometres, with the last four kilometres reducing into service roads.
The work is 55 per cent complete and is expected to be completed by December 2014. The contractor for the project is China Railway Wuju.
The Minister of Roads and Highways, Alhaji Amin Amidu Sulemani, said ADB had agreed to fund the construction of an interchange to link the road with the N1 Highway, while the AfDB had also given its word to support the construction of another interchange at Pokuase.
He said discussions with property owners on the levels of compensation payable to them posed a challenge to the project, and expressed the hope that the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning would release the money as soon as agreements were reached.
By Musah Yahaya Jafaru/Daily Graphic/Ghana