Maintenance works on roads to begin by end of year

The Ministry of Roads and Transport is to undertake routine maintenance on roads and rehabilitate bridges in some parts of the country to make them passable all year round. Dr Richard Anane, Minister for Roads and Transport, said this when answering two urgent questions in Parliament on Friday.

Mr Joseph Akudibillah, Ind. Garu/Tempane, asked the Minister when the broken culverts on the Garu - Tempane - Bawku road would be reconstructed to render the road passable in the rainy season. Dr Anane said the 32-kilometre Garu - Misiga road in the Upper East Region was gravel one and its condition ranged from fair to poor and that a portion of the top slab of the culvert was broken.

He said the ministry was aware of the problem and had, therefore, taken steps to have the culvert repaired by the end of July as well as carry out routine maintenance.

Mr Stephen Amoanor Kwao, NDC-Upper Manya Krobo, asked the Minister what plans the ministry had to replace the old and dangerous bridge on River Ponpong at Oterkpolu, which linked the Upper Manya, Yilo and Lower Manya constituencies in order to protect the life of both pedestrians and motorists.

Dr Anane said the bridge with a span of 52 metres is on the main Oterkpolu - Odumase road in the Eastern Region and was constructed in the 1930's but had never seen any rehabilitation.

He said the single lane bridge was structurally sound in spite of its age and it was only the hand rails that had been damaged, however, rehabilitation works on the road was completed in 2001 but the bridge approaches measuring 300 metres and the bridge itself were not done. The minister said the bridge and its approaches had, therefore, been programmed for maintenance works by the end of September.