‘We need one year extension to complete Ofankor-Nsawam road project’ - Contractor

Maripoma Enterprise Limited, the construction company working on the Ofankor-Nsawam dual carriageway road project, has requested a one-year extension to complete the work.

Thus, the project is now expected to be completed in July next year.

The $346.5 million road rehabilitation project is jointly funded by the government and Maripoma Enterprise Limited, a wholly-owned Ghanaian construction company, which is also executing the project under a Design and Build Contract with Associated Consultants Limited as the supervising consultants.

Work on the 33.4-kilometre road project started in July 2022 and was scheduled to be completed in July this year.

However, with a few days to the July deadline, only a little over 60 percent of the physical work on the project has been completed.

The Chief Resident Engineer on the project, Kwabena Bimpong, told the Ghanaian Times in an exclusive interview on Friday that the contractor had written to his outfit to extend the contract for one year.

Mr. Bimpong said his outfit had written back to the contractor to provide detailed particulars of their request for an extension.

This, he said, would inform his outfit's recommendations to the employer, the Ministry of Roads and Highways, for an extension of the contract.

He indicated that though the contractor had asked for an extension which had not yet been approved, the project would continue until completed.

According to Mr. Bimpong, though it was public knowledge that land litigation and the relocation of utility lines had affected the pace of work, there was a need for the contractor to officially explain why the contract should be extended.

He underscored that numerous litigations arose because some individuals along the project stretch who were affected by the relocation of the utility lines went to court to stop the process.

Mr. Bimpong explained that a section of the project starting from Ofankor to China Mall was now scheduled to be completed in September 2024.

Currently, he said, asphalting of the road had started from “Festus” to Amasaman.

Moreover, Mr. Bimpong said the contractor had increased the rate of work and was running day and night shifts for the early completion of the project.

The Chief Resident Engineer noted that most of the difficult and time-consuming portions of the physical works had been completed.

He noted that the bridges made up of the Ofankor railway, Kpobiman, and Medie were far advanced and the Amasaman interchange was impacted by many structures within “the right of way.”

Mr. Bimpong further said similarly, the Nsawam underpass was yet to start due to similar challenges, especially utilities, and the completion of drainage and footbridges were also far advanced.

The 33.4-kilometre road project forms part of the Accra-Kumasi road National Road Six (N6) network.

The project includes the construction of interchanges, flyovers, footbridges, and bridges at Amasaman, Kpobiman, Medie, and Nsawam Junction.

It also involves the construction of eight lanes of road from Ofankor to Pokuase Interchange, and 10 lanes from Pokuase footbridge to the Nsawam-Bypass.

The completion of the road would ease traffic on the Accra-Nsawam route and promote socio-economic activities along the stretch.

In addition, the road would facilitate trade between Ghana and its Sahelian neighboring regions such as Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.