Mr Kwesi Amoako-Atta, Roads and Highways Minister
The Minister of Roads and Highways, Kwesi Amoako-Atta, has revealed that 6,000km out of 11,000km of roads are to be completed under the government’s ‘2nd Year of Roads’ programme.
The roads to be constructed this year will include town roads, cocoa roads, Sinohydro roads and roads that come under other critical projects.
Giving a breakdown of critical road projects during a press briefing yesterday, Mr Amoako-Atta said such roads include the Navrongo to Naga stretch, the Wa to Bulenga to Yaala road and Salaga to Ekumdipe to Kpandai road, which is 60 per cent complete.
Others are the upgrading of Yagaba to Mankarigu road and the upgrading of Daboya to Mankarigu road.
He explained that as part of government’s year of road programme, 81 critical roads have been identified. These roads lead to a total length of 2,167.2 km and will cost some GHC7.827 billion.
On cocoa roads, he told journalists that about 325 projects are currently ongoing within cocoa growing areas across the country, adding that 4,853km of roads are being constructed at a cost of GHC14.511billion.
Among them are the Aboabo to Esikuma to Dunkwa road, Have to Hohoe road, the Sefwi Wiawso to Akontobra stretch, the Dodokorpe to Borae Junction road, and Hohoe to Jasikan road.
Additionally, 563.3 km of roads are to be completed under the town roads programme at a total cost of GHC1.083 billion. They include the rehabilitation of Gambaga, Nalerigu and Walewale town roads as well as the Phase 1 of the upgrading of Prestea and Tepa town roads, among others.
“The Ministry of Roads and Highways has programmed to undertake 1,500km of asphaltic overlay in major towns and cities across the country, including hospitals, schools, courts, police barracks, army garrisons and other security service compounds,” he added.
On the Sinohydro Master Project Support Facility, the Minister said four road projects, including two interchanges, are ongoing.
The road projects include the Accra inner city roads, Kumasi inner city roads, dualisation of Adenta to Dodowa and the rehabilitation of Ajumako to Afransie road.
Projects since 2017
Mr Amoako-Atta disclosed that, between 2017 and 2020, the government constructed about 4,000 kilometers of roads nationwide.
According to him, at the time President Nana Akufo-Addo took over office in 2017, Ghana had a total of 78,400 kilometers roads in terms of length. He added that out of this total, 23 per cent had been paved, representing 18,000 kilometers, while the remaining 77 per cent were not paved.
He also disclosed that 39 per cent of the roads inherited from the NDC administration were good while 32 per cent and 29 per cent were in fair and poor conditions respectively.
The Roads and Highways Minister added that about 50 per cent of roads were considered to be in terrible, poor condition.
“Over 64 years of independence, if we have done well, the people of this country are better judges,” he said.
Bridges
Moving his attention to bridges, he announced that the government had earmarked 120 out of the 200 programmed in various part of the country for completion this year.
Among them are Dikpe, Iture and Ankobra bridges, the Volivo cable stay bridge, Adawso to Ekyeamanfrom Bridge over the Volta in Afram Plains, 89 Mabey Bailey Bridges, as well as the reconstruction of Buipe, Yapei and Daboya bridges.
He announced that there are 50 bridges under the Czech Bridges Programme, of which “bridge components are being fabricated in Czech Republic with the arrival of 21 of them in the country pending the start of work.”
The contract, he said, had been awarded, with preliminary designs submitted, pending approval for work to begin.
On completed bridges, he said 69 of steel bridges across the feeder roads network are completed, and will be launched under the Sinohydro Project; 20 bridges rehabilitation on trunk roads network; 13 Spanish bridges and seven in the northern part of the country, in Kulungugu, Garu1, Garu2, Doninga, Sisili and Ambalara have been completed and opened to traffic.
