By Hafsa Obeng
Accra, July 31, GNA – Government will embark on a community roads improvement programme to increase productivity and facilitate the transportation of food crops, Mr Ken Ofori Attah, Finance Minister has said.
According to him, Districts Assemblies would be given complementary equipment to ensure that their local roads were motorable throughout the year.
Delivering the 2023 Mid-Year Fiscal Policy Review, on Monday, in Parliament, the finance minister noted that these notwithstanding, Government was committed to improving road infrastructure in line with the fiscal consolidation plan in the IMF-backed PCPEG and in partnership with the private sector.
He said to improve mobility and accessibility, as well as safety along major trunk roads, several projects were at various stages of completion:
“Works on the 31.2 km Assin Fosu-Assin Praso portion of the National Trunk Road N8 (Phase 2) was completed and commissioned in June 2023; Accra-Tema Beach Road Lot 1is 79 percent complete while Lot 2 is 89 percent complete, construction of a 3-tier interchange at Nungua Barrier is ongoing, and development works on the Kumasi Lake Road and Drainage Extension project was 98 percent complete.”
Mr Ofori-Attah said selected roads in Sekondi and Takoradi Phase 1 was 21 percent complete; Tema-Aflao Road was 30 percent complete; Nsawam-Ofankor road was 26 percent complete; reconstruction of Bechem-Techimantia-Akomadan road was 64 percent complete; reconstruction of Agona Nkwanta-Tarkwa road was 34 percent complete, while phase 2 of the Obetsebi Lamptey Circle Interchange and other ancillary works was 86 percent complete as of June 2023.
“Construction of a 4-tier interchange at Suame in the Ashanti Region has commenced; Construction of 50 prefabricated bridges in all sixteen regions continued in 2023 and are 86 percent complete as at end June; design, fabrication and delivery of 87 No. steel panel bridges is ongoing, with 45 bridges delivered; and new bridge under construction at Twifo Praso to separate vehicular traffic from the railway line is 93 percent complete. 125. “
The finance minister also noted that the Road Sector’s Public Private Partnerships (PPP) programme for the financing, construction and management of road infrastructure has two projects at different stages of preparation.
“Phase 1 of the Accra-Tema Motorway Extension Project (31.7km) involves the reconstruction of the Motorway. The Concession Agreement and draft Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) agreement have been finalized and will be laid in this House. And the Development of Tema Arterial Roads will be structured on a PPP basis using the Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) model. The appraisal of the project is ongoing.”
GNA
CA/