Prez directs two ministries to pay road contractors
President John Dramani Mahama has directed the ministers of finance and roads to arrange and pay the certificates of contractors working on some priority roads.
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He said the payment was to increase the pace of work on some critical roads that had become 'bottlenecks.'
President Mahama gave the directive yesterday during an inspection of ongoing road projects around Burma Camp in Accra.
The road project, which is targeted at improving access within the Accra East area, involves improving access between Teshie-Nungua and La by constructing a new road from Teshie through Burma Camp.
Funding for the project is from the World Bank and the Government of Ghana.
Recently, residents of Ashaiman and Asamankese embarked on demonstrations to protest the poor state of their roads.
President Mahama said the government was committed to improving the road network to ease movement and congestion.
However, he said the government did not have resources "to do all at once."
The President, therefore, asked the people to exercise patience as the government mobilised resources to fix the roads.
"We all need good roads but we have to mobilise the resources to be able to provide these roads.
“I have asked the ministers of finance and roads to arrange and pay the certificate of the contracts so that they can increase the pace of work as we mobilise more resources to be able to have the roads put in good condition for all of us," he said.
President Mahama commended the contractors for the steady progress of work on the road and asked them to keep it up.
Lot One of the project, which began in September, 2012, involves the widening of the 5.7 kilometre road between the 37 Roundabout and the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel into a two-lane dual carriageway with asphaltic surface finish.
There will also be pedestrian walkways and covered drains. The work is 30 per cent complete and is expected to be completed fully in August, 2014.
The contract sum for Lot One is GH¢7,335,620, and Gansu Overseas Engineering Corporation of China is the contractor on the project.
Work on Lot Two, which started in November, 2012, involves the construction of a 5.2 km two-lane dual carriageway with walkways, covered drains and asphaltic surface finish. The road links the Giffard Road to the Spintex Road around the Flower Port Junction.
As part of the project, a flyover will be constructed at the intersection of the Burma Camp and the Giffard roads. Work on the Lot Two is 34 per cent complete and is expected to be completed fully in October, 2014.
The Lot Two, which is estimated to cost GH¢19,040,364, is being executed by China Railway Wuju Group Corporation.
The Lot Three project, which began in September, 2012, involves the construction of 4.3 km two-lane dual carriageway to link Burma Camp and Teshie around the LEKMA Hospital.
Work on the Lot Three is 21 per cent complete and is expected to be completed fully in August, 2014.
The contract sum for the Lot Three is GH¢7,187,035 and China Jiangxi Corporation is the contractor on the project.
The Director of Urban Roads, Alhaji Abass Awolu, who briefed the President on the projects, said work on the projects was going on as scheduled and was expected to be completed by the end of 2014.
By Musah Yahaya Jafaru/Ghana