By Samuel Akumatey
Ho, July 25, GNA – Mr Francis Asensu-Boakye, the Minister of Roads and Highways, has undertaken a duty tour to the Volta Region to assess road projects, the challenges in execution as well as progress with the various interventions.
He was accompanied by some executives and top engineers from the Ministry and its departments.
Madam Faustina Oppong-Yeboah, the Volta Regional Director, Ghana Highway Authority, led the Minister to inspect works on the Eastern Corridor roads and interacted with engineers, urging for speedy delivery.
He first inspected the resealing of the Atimpoku to Asikuma Road, completed recently, which was made possible through a variation order on the upgrading of the Asikuma Junction to Have lot of the close to 700km Eastern Corridor superhighway.
The project is being undertaken by an indigenous firm, First Sky Construction, and although at about 60 per cent complete, travel time along the corridor has been greatly enhanced.
The resealing of the 26 km Atimpoku to Asikuma Road had been completed, and First Sky is expected to soon undertake the pulverising of existing asphalt on the Peki section as a final stage of the 45 km Asikuma Junction to Have lot.
Chinese Firm Green House Construction is in charge of the construction of the Have to Hohoe road, a Cocoa Roads project that begun in August 2020 to be completed within 18 months.
Challenges with variation orders among others delayed progress and the work was suspended in 2022, but the contractor resumed work this year and is progressing.
The Minister had earlier inspected the dualization of the main road to the Volta Regional capital, a 10.5-km stretch, completed last year, and also saw the ongoing dualization of the Ho By-pass, also 10.5km, being undertaken by First Sky and which is 49.5 per cent complete.
The work includes the internal roads of the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS), which the Minister also inspected.
He assured the management of the University of its prompt completion to enhance movement within the institution’s vast expanse.
The Minister would end the regional tour in the Hohoe Municipality.
He had expressed concern over the Ve Golokwati to the Hohoe stretch of the Eastern Corridor, which had cut off the main access to the Hohoe Municipality, due to its poor nature.
Mr Asenso-Boakye instructed the Highways Authority to secure a competent entity to undertake the project.
“The Hohoe to Golokwati Road for me is the most critical and this is passing through the main Hohoe town. You can see the dust and the inconvenience it is causing the good people of Hohoe. Teis needs immediate attention,” he said.
“So, I have instructed that a very good contractor is sourced to come and attend to this very important road so that we can bring relief to the good people of Hohoe”.
Addressing the media at the end of the tour, the Minister said the work on the Ho bypass and the Asikuma- Have Road were progressing steadily adding: “I am happy I was able to come, and I believe it will urge the contractors to work harder and even faster.”
“And those areas that we saw that the contractors are slacking, we are taking the necessary actions so that the work can go on faster…”
The Minister also visited the road being constructed to the Wli Mountains – an initiative of Mr John Peter Amewu, MP for Hohoe and Minister for Railways Development.
Mr. Asenso-Boakye gave an assurance that the project would be fully realised.
The tour continues along the Eastern Corridor into the Oti Region where he is expected to view road infrastructure in the Buem Krachi districts.
GNA