Tema, Aug. 11, GNA – Residents of Sakumono in the Tema West Municipality have called on the government to fix the main road from the beach road intersection to the Sakumono Village through the Estate.
Some of the residents, who spoke to the Ghana News Agency in Sakumono on Wednesday, said construction works on the road had stalled after it was graded recently.
They said the terrible nature of the road was not only detrimental to their health but also affecting their businesses situated along the stretch.
Madam Munira Adams, a Waakye seller at Sakumono Village, expressed worry at the dusty nature of the road.
The five-kilometre road construction is part of an initial 28.6-kilometre road network facelift being undertaken by the Ministry of Roads and Highways in the Tema West Municipality.
The GH¢13 million project, with various components, initially 15 kilometres, has been varied to include the Sakumono Village and Estate stretch now costing GH¢55 million, according to data from the Highways obtained by the Ghana News Agency in Tema.
Initially, it was scheduled for completion within 24 months from the start of the project in June 2020.
Mr Emmanuel Wordey, Roads Engineer, Tema West Municipal Assembly, reacting to the concerns of residents, said the five-kilometre road would be completed on schedule to make it more motorable for commuters.
He said some works had already started on the road, adding that most of the drains there were broken down so that had to be done first, adding that the initial grading on the road was to make it motorable while the contractor fixed the sections with bad drains.
He said the project had not stalled as was being perceived, adding that the contractor had moved to another site to carry out an emergency project in the regions, explaining that he would move to the site as soon as that was done.
According to him, without the repairs of the drains, some of which were ultralow, it could cause some defects if the road construction went ahead, and said the drains needed to be raised to ensure that the road is spatially high to avoid flooding and deterioration.
Responding to some complaints of residents on the dusty nature of the road after it was graded nearly two months ago, the Roads Engineer said the grading was needed at the sub-base level before the base, adding that once the contractor reached the base, it would pave way for asphalting to be done.
Mr Wordey added when the aggregate basing was done, the contractor would have to complete the work as an extra cost would be borne by him, and no contractor anticipated that.
“Per our payment protocol, once you put in the base material, you should be ready to do asphalting, otherwise any loss incurred will be at the expense of the contractor and they will want to avoid that,” he explained.
GNA