Be patient with government, all deplorable roads will be fixed – Roads Minister assures

Francis Asenso-Boakye, Minister of Roads and Highways, has assured residents of the Greater Accra Region that all deplorable roads in the capital will be repaired.

He said the government was aware of the poor condition of several roads in the region, particularly due to recent downpours, and had taken steps to improve them.

“The Ministry is committed to fixing these deplorable roads, especially in the densely populated areas of Accra,” said the minister.

The Minister made the pledge during a tour of the ongoing road and drainage projects in some municipalities of the Greater Accra Region on Wednesday.

He inspected the Tuba Junction, the main Fulani-Ajassco Factory, Aplaku-Red Top, and Black Factory to Otintoh roads in the Ga South Municipality, the ‘borla’ road in the Weija-Gbawe Municipality, the Pentecost University, Auntie Aku, Adu Gyamfi, and Israel roads in Anyaa-Sowutuom in the Ga Central Municipality, and an ongoing asphalt overlay project in Okwaikwei North and South.

The Minister also inspected ongoing works on the 50-meter bridge over the Densu River to link Old Weija to New Weija.

The visit was part of the Minister’s nationwide tour to obtain first-hand information on the country’s road conditions and the progress of work on some ongoing projects.

He was accompanied by Mr. Titus Glover, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Mr. Abass Awolu, Chief Director of the Ministry of Roads and Highways, as well as directors and engineers from the Ghana Highway Authority and the Ministry, among others.

Mr. Asenso-Boakye, who lauded the government’s achievements in the road sector, stressed that the current administration had invested more resources in building the country’s road network than any other government.

He urged Ghanaians to remain patient as the administration worked to improve the country’s road networks.

“Have patience with the NPP government. We love you very much, and so, we have a lot of plans for all Ghanaians, particularly on roads and storm drains,” he remarked.

The Minister noted that previous governments did not invest in storm drain construction, but the NPP government had committed over GH¢300 million since assuming office to ensure the matter was dealt with.

“So, this government has done a lot when it comes to the construction of storm drains, roads, and bridges and deserves commendation. And we are the people who can continue and do more for Ghanaians,” he added.

When asked what the government was doing to address the challenges, Mr. Asenso-Boakye said the Ministry was relying on its ongoing Impact Roads Project to repair degraded roads in densely populated areas of the region.

“These are areas that are densely populated, and the Ministry has a project called the Impact Roads Project, and we want to use the opportunity to fix the bad roads in those communities in Greater Accra,” he said.

On the construction of a 50-meter bridge over the Densu River at the Weija Dam, the Minister said that a few structures near the construction site continued to obstruct progress.

To ensure that work on the bridge continued uninterrupted, he stated that the government would soon provide fair compensation to the owners of the structures earmarked for demolition, to allow for smooth work.

“Together with the regional minister, we’ve been able to make some decisions there, and very soon, some compensation will be given, and then we can demolish those buildings so that we can complete the work,” the Minister said.

Madam Adwoa Duku, Regional Director of Urban Roads, briefed the Minister on some of the projects and stated that work was continuing as planned, with most expected to be completed on schedule.

For instance, in the Ga Central Municipality, she said that 11.7 kilometers of the road around Auntie Aku, Fan Milk, and Adu Gyamfi in the Anyaa-Sowutuom community had been sealed, while some drains on the Israel road had been completed.

Madam Duku said the contractor working on the Israel road had completed some drains, adding that the construction of some primary and storm drains was also in progress.

She said rehabilitation work on the 1.6 km main Fulani-Ajassco Block Factory Road in the Ga South Municipality was 50 percent complete.

Mr. Glover, Greater Accra Regional Minister, stressed the need for the timely completion of the bridge over the Densu River at Weija, indicating that it would ease traffic on the main Accra-Kasoa road when done.

He directed the Weija-Gbawe Municipal Assembly to immediately earmark structures that required demolition around the project site to enable the government to know how much compensation was to be paid to affected persons.