WORK ON ROAD PROGRESSING (PAGE 3)

REHABILITATION work on the 60-kilometre Techiman-Kintampo trunk road and the reconstruction of the 30-km Techiman-Wenchi road in the Brong Ahafo Region are progressing steadily.
The Techiman-Kintampo road, which is an integral part of the national route linking the northern and southern parts of the country and also provides a transit corridor for Ghana’s landlocked neighbours, is expected to be completed by March 1, 2011 with asphaltic concrete at a cost of GHҐ 36,058,579.20.
It is being jointly financed by the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Government of Ghana (GoG) and the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) Fund and executed by Messrs Shinsung Engineering and Construction Corporation Limited of South Korea. The Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) is the implementing agency with Conterra Limited as the engineers.
When completed, the road will increase economic activities, facilitate marketing of agricultural produce, generate employment and subsequently reduce poverty in the area.
It will also reduce travelling time and cost of transportation of goods and generate higher transit traffic, thereby encouraging increased economic activity in the local service.
Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, last Thursday inspected the project, as well as the Techiman-Wenchi road, which was solely being funded by the GoG at a cost of GHҐ 15,310,888.64, with the GHA as the implementing agency and Messrs P & W Ghanem Limited as the local contractor. The project is expected to be completed by May, 2010.
Briefing the Regional Minister, who was accompanied by the Regional Director of the GHA , Mr Emmanuel Pireku, the Resident Engineer, Mr William Owusu-Banahene, pointed out that since the project was purely rehabilitation, the work component involved bush clearing, earthworks, widening the road from 0.9 metres to 12.3 metres and pavement finishing.
According to Mr Owusu-Banahene, the major problems facing the contractor were the failure of drivers to obey road directional signs within the constructional area, and suggested that the contractor should adopt stiffer measures to check those recalcitrant drivers.
He also indicated that some chiefs and landowners were making high demands for royalties, a situation which he said had become difficult for the contractor.
The Regional Minister underscored the importance of that stretch of road not only to Ghana but also to the neighbouring countries, giving the assurance that the government would provide the necessary assistance towards successful completion of the project.
Nana Fosu Gyeabour, a representative of the contractor working on the Techiman-Wenchi road, conducted the Regional Minister to inspect the road, which he said was 58 per cent complete.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo commended the two contractors for a good work done, and urged them to continue in that spirit of commitment.