By Benjamin A. Commey, GNA
Accra, June 02, GNA – The contractor working on the dualisation of the 22km Adentan-Dodowa road has given November this year for the completion of the first two-lane carriageway.
That will ease traffic on the stretch.
Work on the US$ 114,673,200 project officially commenced in April this year.
Briefing Mr Francis Asenso-Boakye, Minister of Roads and Highways, during an inspection tour , Mr Rosby Kobby Mensah, Project Director for Oswald Investments Limited, the contractor working on the project, said a substantial work on the first phase of the project was almost complete.
He said the clearing, removal and demolition of temporary structures and trees on the right-of-way had been concluded.
Additionally, excavation and replacement of bad soils, expansion of culverts and replacements, construction of roadside drains and earthworks, he said, had either been completed or ongoing
Mr Mensah said considering the level of work done within the past seven weeks, he was optimistic that by November this year the first carriageway would be ready and opened to traffic.
“We are showing commitment and I can assure you that by November one carriageway is done, asphalted. We can do it, it’s achievable, we work day and night so we can achieve it,” he said.
The inspection formed part of the Minister’s nationwide tour, to obtain first-hand information on the conditions of roads in the country, as well as progress of work on some ongoing projects.
He was accompanied by Mr Titus Glover, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Mr Abass Awolu, Chief Director of the Ministry of Roads and Highways, Madam Adwoa Duku, Regional Director, Urban Roads, as well as directors and engineers of the Ghana Highway Authority and the Ministry, among others.
Funded by the Government of Ghana (GoG), the project when completed would provide adequate linkages between Adentan, Dodowa and Kpong and to neighbouring regional capitals such as Koforidua and Ho.
The scope of the project is the design and construction of the 22km Adenta Dodowa road section of the R40 that starts from the junction at Adentan on the National Route 4 (N4) to the town of Dodowa.
It includes two-lane service roads of about 14km on both sides of the road; pedestrian bridges or underpasses; provision of streetlights; and toll booths.
Mr Mensah added that 7km of road had, so far, been done while seven out of 39 culverts are expected to be constructed had also been completed.
Mr Asenso-Boakye said the project was critical to government as its competition would bring relief to many Ghanaians who plied the road.
He expressed satisfaction over the progress of work and commended the contractor for the work it had accomplished with the past seven weeks.
“So far he’s done about 7km and he’s done seven major culverts with the view to improving the drainage challenges in the area. I’m very satisfied with the work and I have been assured that by November, a substantial part of the work will be completed and it will be opened to traffic,” he added.
The Minister also inspected Three Junction to Kojo Ashong road, the dilapidated Kojo Ashong bridge in Amasaman in the Ga West Municipality, the partial reconstruction of the Abokobi-Teiman road, rehabilitation of the Kwabenya roundabout-Taifa roads and the School Junction-Motorway project at Borteyman, in the Ga East Municipality, and the Dome-Kitase road.
On the Three Junction to Kojo Ashong road, Mr Asenso-Boakye, said the stretch was awarded on contract sometime ago but due to unforeseen challenges, it was abandoned.
He said the ministry would take an immediate step to terminate the initial contract and re-award it for work to begin.
“We will terminate that contract, repackage it and re-scope the project and give it to a new contractor,” he emphasised.
Regarding the dilapidated Kojo Ashong bridge, the Minister said he had instructed the Bridge Maintenance Unit of the Ghana Highway Authority to assess the extent of damage for the necessary intervention to be made.
The bridge serves as a linkage between Amansaman, Domeabra and Kasoa.
On the 23km Dome-Kitase road project, Mr Asenso-Boakye said work on the project had not been affected despite government’s debt exchange programme.
However, he explained that with government about to conclude negotiations with the Paris Club and the International Monetary Fund, all resources would be mobilised to ensure timely completion of the project.
GNA