The Minister of Roads and Highways, Francis Asenso-Boakye, has assured residents of the Greater Accra Region that all deplorable roads in the capital will be repaired.
He says the government was aware of the poor condition of several roads in the region, particularly due to recent downpours, and had taken steps to improve them.
“The Ministry is committed to fixing these deplorable roads, especially in the densely populated Accra,” the Minister said.
Mr Asenso-Boakye made the pledge during an inspection of the ongoing road and drainage projects in some municipalities in the Greater Accra Region on Wednesday.
He inspected the Tuba Junction, the main Fulani-Ajassco Factory, Aplaku-Red Top, and Black Factory to Otintoh roads in the Ga South Municipality, the ‘borla’ road in the Weija-Gbawe Municipality, the Pentecost University, Auntie Aku, Adu Gyamfi, and Israel roads in Anyaa-Sowutuom in the Ga Central Municipality, and an ongoing asphalt overlay project in Okwaikwei North and South.
The Minister also inspected ongoing works on the 50-meter bridge on the Densu River to link Old Weija to New Weija.
The visit was part of the Minister’s nationwide tour to obtain first-hand information on the country’s road conditions and the progress of work on some ongoing projects.
He was accompanied by the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Titus Glover, the Chief Director of the Ministry of Roads and Highways, Abass Awolu, as well as directors and engineers of the Ghana Highway Authority and the Ministry, among others.
Mr Asenso-Boakye, who lauded the government’s achievements in the road sector, stressed that the current administration had invested more resources in building the country’s road network than any other government.
He urged Ghanaians to remain patient as the administration worked to improve the country’s road networks.
“Have patience for the NPP government. We love you very much and so, we have a lot of plans for all Ghanaians, particularly on roads and storm drains,” he remarked.
The Minister noted that previous governments did not invest in storm drain construction, but the NPP government had committed over GH¢300 million since assuming office to guarantee the matter was dealt with.
“So, this government has done a lot when it comes to the construction of storm drains, roads and bridges and deserves commendation. And we are the people who can continue and do more for Ghanaians,” he added.
When asked what the government was doing to address the challenges, Mr Asenso-Boakye said the Ministry was relying on its ongoing Impact Roads Project to repair degraded roads in densely populated areas of the region.
“These are areas that are densely populated, and the Ministry has a project called Impact Roads Project and we want to use the opportunity to fix the bad roads in those communities in Greater Accra,” he said.
On the construction of a 50-meter bridge on the Densu River at the Weija Dam, the Minister said that a few structures near the construction site continued to obstruct progress.
To ensure that work on the bridge continued uninterrupted, he stated that the government would soon provide fair compensation to the owners of the structures earmarked for demolition, to allow for smooth work.
“Together with the regional minister we’ve been able to make some decisions there and very soon some compensation would be given and then we can demolish those buildings so that we can complete work,” the Minister said.
On her part, the Regional Director of Urban Roads, Madam Adwoa Duku, briefed the Minister on some of the projects and stated that work was continuing as planned, with most expected to be completed on schedule.
For instance, in the Ga Central Municipality, she said that 11.7 kilometers of the road around Auntie Aku, Fan Milk, and Adu Gyamfi in the Anyaa Sowutuom community had been sealed, while some drains on the Israel road had been completed.
Madam Duku said the contractor working on the Israel road had completed some drains, adding that construction of some primary and storm drains was also in progress.
She said rehabilitation work on the 1.6km main Fulani-Ajassco Block Factory Road in the Ga South Municipality was 50 percent complete.
Mr Glover, Greater Accra Regional Minister, stressed the need for timely completion of the bridge on the Densu River at Weija, indicating that it would ease traffic on the main Accra-Kasoa road when done.
He directed the Weija-Gbawe Municipal Assembly to immediately earmark structures that required demolition around the project site to enable the government to know how much compensation was to be paid to affected persons.
ALSO READ:
- SSNIT hotels: Akufo-Addo orders Labour Minister to engage Organised Labour
Engaging labour on SSNIT hotels unnecessary – Ablakwa to Akufo-Addo