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Ministry of roads suspends contracts

By Kofi Ahovi
The Ministry of Roads and Highway has suspended as well as terminated some of the projects awarded in the last quarter of 2008.

According to the sector minister, Joe Gidisu, the suspension and termination of the project is mainly due to severe funding constraints.

“The ministry have had to suspend and in some cases terminate some of the projects which were awarded in the last quarter of 2008 due to severe funding constraints,” the Road and Highway Minister stated last week during the ministry’s turn at the weekly meet the press.

He noted that though the government has since January 2009 paid GH¢154 million under the government of Ghana budget to contractors, it still owes them about GH¢136 million as at September this year.

Similarly, there is an outstanding balance of GH¢118 million to be paid to contractors from the Road Fund as at September 2009. It has already paid GH¢87.91 million from the fund to contractors between January and September this year.

“There is the need to further terminate some of the projects if any meaningful impact would have to be made in the maintenance of our roads,” the minister stressed.

Gidisu however assured that the ministry would prioritize, repackage and re-award the terminated projects when reliable financial sources are identified.

Joe Gidisu observed that it is the vision of the government to construct the major highways in concrete or asphalt to increase their life span and to provide efficient and comfortable movement of persons, goods and services.

He said the government will continue with the improvement works on sections of the Accra-Kumasi-Techiman-Bolgatanga-Paga road, adding that it will promote regional integration through improved accessibility to the Tema Port as Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger would have easy access to the port.

The government will rehabilitate the eastern corridor comprising of Tema-Asikuma-Jasikan-Yendi-Nakpnduri-Kulungugu trunk road to ease the burden of transporting of major staple food as well as reduce travel time from the north to the south.

With regard to the western corridor comprising Takoradi and Elubo in the south, throught Enchi, Diaso, Bibiani, Goaso and Sunyani in the central section, to Bamboi, Wa and Hamile in the north will be reconstructed to facilitate and enhance movement of persons and goods between the south and the north as well as the western region.

According to the minister, the two key roads that link Tarkwa-Bogosu-Ayamfur and Ayamfuri-Asawaso will also be rehabilitated in 2010.

“The government will make major interventions in the development and maintenance of cocoa roads and other rural roads with the view to making them all weather roads” the minister hinted.

Gidisu assured that the government will support the Metropolitan and Municipal Assemblies to pursue an enhanced urban transport policy, explaining that the objective is to enhance urban mobility and reduce traffic congestion and urban poverty.

Over the past nine months, the ministry has continued with the execution of critical ongoing projects in spite of the massive over commitment of projects in relation to available funds. These include Achimota-Ofankor, Madina-Pantange, Akatsi-Dzodze-Akanu, Akatsi-Agozume-Aflao etc.

The minister stated that urgent intervention works have been undertaken to improve traffic flow and reduce the bottlenecks at the Tetteh Quarshie Interchange and sections of the Spintex road, “additional lanes have been added on the interchange loops and the exit of the Spintex road to reduce traffic congestion,” he added.

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