Henry Ford Kamel (in smock) interacting with the engineers
The much-talked-about eastern corridor road, otherwise known as national route N2, which starts from Tema Motorway roundabout through to Kulungugu on the north eastern border with Burkina Faso, has seen some vigorous works on the Asikuma Junction to Peki portion of the road.
Earlier claims had indicated that work was seriously ongoing, yet there was nothing to show.
However, last week, when the new Volta Regional Minister, Henry Ford Kamel, toured the area, it was evident that some vigorous work was ongoing.
The minster was in the company of a section of the media, officials of the Road Safety Commission, the Ministry of Roads and Highways and G.S. International Developer (GH) Ltd, the Chinese firm working on the road.
The Asikuma Junction to Peki portion of the road forms part of the lot 2 section (Asikuma Junction-Hohoe-Jasikan-Poase Cement, 147.2km) of the entire 695km eastern corridor road project. Due to the lengthy nature of the eastern corridor road, it was divided into seven packages- lot 1 to lot 7.
After several agitations and criticisms of the Mills government, a contract was awarded on 29th September, 2011 and later signed on 17th October, 2011 while work started on 22nd November, 2011. The contract covered only the Asikuma Junction to Hohoe portion, which is 45km of the 147.2km lot-2 section of the eastern corridor project. It is expected to be completed in 24 months- thus by December 2014.
At the site, the Head of Project Management Unit of the Ministry of Roads and Highways, Kwadwo Aboagye, dispelled claims of delay, saying, “The eastern corridor road is a special one that needs special attention and therefore requires that every stage and tiny development be tested and certified before advancing to the next step.”
He added that although the ministry was now finalizing on the quarry location for the project, initial works had been steadily progressing. He said when completed, the entire eastern corridor would be asphalted throughout, with 3-lane dual carriage (Tema to Afienya), 2-lane dual carriage (Afienya to Asutsuare) and 2 lanes from Asutsuare all the way to the end. He noted that the supply of materials was all local.
The Resident Engineer of the Project, also from the ministry, Kweku Anguah, noted that the contractor was awaiting more equipment from the harbor to speed up work on the road. He said one unique aspect of the road was that a three-metre underpass would be constructed along the entire stretch of road.
There will also be a pedestrian walkway big enough to keep the public safe. A lot of forums would also be held with the affected communities to ensure that all necessary safety measures were taken to make the road safe.
Mr Kamel expressed delight for the progress of work but urged the contractor to ensure he met the 2014 deadline.He called on the media and civil society groups to ensure they monitor the progress of work from time to time to ensure the engineers and contractors do the right thing, particularly regarding road safety.
From Fred Duodu, Ho
Daily Guide
