Periodic maintenance work on five roads in the Brong Ahafo Region have been completed while 12 others are at various stages of completion. These came to light when the Parliamentary Select Committee on Roads and Transport toured the Region to inspect the status of ongoing road projects.
The Berekum-Nsawkaw; Duayaw-Nkwanta-Kyeremasu; Prang-Kintampo; Kintampo-New Longoro and Nkoranza-Jema roads were completed at a total cost of 3.52 billion cedis. A number of culverts on the Kwadwokrom-Atebubu road have also been completed at a cost of 215.9 million cedis.
The regional Director of Ghana Highway Authority (GHA), Mr Amin B.K. Nuhu, who led the Committee on the tour, said the contractors were aware of a penalty to be paid when their contract was not completed on schedule. He said the GHA would continue to monitor their performance to ensure that no shoddy works were executed.
Mr. Solomon Kwabena Sarfo, Chairman of the Committee and Mr. Emmanuel Zumakpeh, Ranking Member and other members were on a five-day visit to the Brong Ahafo, Upper West, Upper East and Northern Regions to assess works on the roads and how funds for the projects were being utilised.
The members expressed concern about the slow pace of work on some of the roads and appealed to the contractors to speed up work. The delegation noted that the annual release of funds for re-gravelling and rehabilitation of feeder roads was a drain on the national economy and suggested that such funds could be used to tar the roads in sections to ensure longer lifespan.
Mr. Sarfo appealed to the contractors to ensure that they executed the projects on schedule and to specifications.
Mr. Zumakpeh said Brong Ahafo was a major food producing area and there was the need for the contractors to show urgency in their execution of the projects. Funds for the roads are from the Ghana government, KfW of Germany and the International Development Agency (IDA).
Most of the contractors attributed the slow pace of work to irregular cash flow and the on-set of the rains. Rehabilitation of the 30-kilometre Wenchi-Sampa road at a cost of 10 million cedis, is about 54 per cent complete, upgrading of the 10 kilometres Sunyani-Odumase-Adentia road is behind schedule and is 85 per cent complete.
The re-gravelling of the 55 kilometres Kwadwokrom-Atebubu road costing 7,376.31 million cedis is about 65 per cent complete. Atronie Bridge rehabilitation costing 573.38 million cedis is yet to start. Resurfacing of the 51.7 kilometres Wenchi-Bamboi road as well as the upgrading of the 47.8 kilometres Sunyani-Ntotroso-Acherensua road are progressing slowly.
The 57.6 kilometres Aframso-Sekyedumase-Nkoranza road and the 50.4 kilometres Ejura-Nkoranza are also progressing slowly. The re-gravelling of the 60 kilometres Prang-Kintampo-New Longoro road is 25 per cent complete while the 30 kilometres stretch of the road is 90 per cent complete. The 36 kilometres Berekum-Nsakaw road would be completed by August.
