Work on Mallam - Kasoa road is on schedule

Kasoa (C/R), May 19, GNA - Work on the 18-kilometre Mallam - Kasoa dual carriage road being built at a cost of 244 billion cedis is progressing according to schedule.

So far 6.3 per cent of work had been done since operations started in February. The project, which is being financed by the World Bank and Government, would be completed by February 2006.

Resident Project Engineer, George David said the Project was running according to schedule and it would be completed in the stipulated two years, barring any unforeseen circumstances.

Mr David told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that the current heavy traffic, which was being experienced on the road, was mainly due to vehicles joining the major road from the many adjoining junctions.

Besides the position of the market at Kasoa, which was so close to the road, was also a hindrance to free vehicular movement because vehicles often parked alongside the narrow road to pick and offload passengers.

He said the project had taken into account all those problems and had made room for the construction of service lanes to divert traffic from the junctions to convenient entry points where they could join the major road.

Mr David said traffic lights would also be installed at five main junctions linking the main road in addition to the relocation of the market to a new place on the Bawjiase road to ease traffic. He said a major problem facing the contractor was the activities of trespassers, who had built on waterways.

He said over six billion cedis would have to be spent to construct an underground tunnel to divert the flow of water from Dunkona catchment area to River Densu.

He said the water from the culverts must be allowed to flow freely to prolong the life span of the road and save it from being submerged and destroyed within a short period.

Mr David appealed to the Ga District Assembly to facilitate the pulling down of buildings on waterways to allow for free passage of water from the culverts.

Mr Joseph Otchere, Consultant to the Project, said based on estimates from the Ghana Highway Authority, arrangement was being made to pay 50 per cent compensation to those whose buildings would be affected by the project even before the final figures were released from the Valuation Board.