PRESIDENT AKUFO-Addo has assured residents in the Volta and Oti regions that government is committed to completing the Eastern Corridor Road.
According to him, the progress of work on the various lots, particularly, the ones which traverse the Volta and Oti regions, were testament to the fact that a number of them would be completed in 2023.
The President noted that unlike others who only paid lip service to the country’s road construction, his administration was walking the talk and doing everything possible to ensure the road would be completed on schedule to bring relief to residents.
The President made the commitment on Monday, when he inspected ongoing work on the Asikuma-Have stretch of the Eastern Corridor Road.
The project is part of the 58 road projects being constructed in the Volta Region, out of which 129 kilometres have been completed.
Engineer Oliver Acquah-Techie, Chief Executive Officer of First Sky Construction Limited, contractors of the project, noted that the construction of the road, which was awarded in September 2021, was progressing according to schedule.
Progress of Works
The Volta Regional Director of the Ghana Highway Authority, Eric Dorsu, said, “41-kilometres out of the 53-kilometres of the Have-Hohoe stretch, which is being done by Greenhouse Construction, has already been completed.”
Also, “22 kilometres of the 30-kilometre Hohoe-Jasikan portion has been completed, while the entire 56-kilometre Jasikan-Dodo-Pepeso section, has also been completed and commissioned by Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia last week.”
Mr. Dorsu added that, “Work is steadily ongoing on the Nkwanta-Kpassa and the Oti-Damongo sections.”
The Eastern Corridor is a 696 kilometres stretch which begins at Tema in the Greater Accra Region through the Eastern, Volta and Oti regions to Kulungugu in the Upper East Region. It is the shortest route linking the northern part of the country to the south. The Volta, Oti and parts of the Northern region have been in very bad shape for years. As most of the sections get completed, traffic and commercial activities along the stretch are expected to improve and also livelihoods.
Volta Road Projects
Amongst the roads completed include the 21 kilometres of asphaltic overlay of selected roads in Hohoe and Kpando municipalities; the 15.6 kilometres of bitumen surfacing of Akwettey-Adaklu-Waya road; 20 kilometres of bitumen surfacing of the Yorkitikpo-Kpoviadzi-Trepe road; and the upgrading of the 9.7-kilometre Liati Agbonyira-Fodome-Ahor feeder road.
The 175-metre bridge on the Agbenoxoe-Dafor Feeder road, which links communities between Kpandu, Dafor to Nkonya, has also been completed.
The dualisation of the 10-kilometre road between Sokode Gbogame and the Ho Civic Centre, the first major dual carriageway in the Volta Regional Capital, is 85 per cent complete and scheduled for completion by the end of 2022.
Government is also working towards commencing work on the Volivo Bridge and approach roads. Work is expected to commence by the first quarter of 2023.
Tendering processes are also ongoing for the 39.2km Dorfor-Adidome-Asikuma Junction and the 23.9km Asutsuare Junction–Aveyime roads, which will serve as approach roads to the Volivo Bridge. The project is to be funded by the African Development Bank, with work expected to commence by January 2023.
FROM Fred Duodu, Kpeve (k.duodu@yahoo.com)