Kwasi Amoako-Atta
THE AKUFO-ADDO administration constructed, tarred and asphalted a total of 3,620 kilometres of roads across the country in its first four years, Chairman of the Roads and Transport Committee of Parliament, Kennedy Nyarko Osei has revealed.
According to him, 1,600 kilometres of the road network was asphaltic bitumen, while the remaining kilometres were bitumen surfacing, explaining that a kilometre of asphaltic road cost between $1.2 million and $1.5 million, while a kilometre of bitumen surfacing cost between $400,000 and $600,000.
Addressing journalists in Parliament after the approval of the design-build contract agreement for the construction of the bridge over the Afram River at Adawso-Ekyi Amanfrom, Mr. Osei said the bridge would be the first and longest bridge in West Africa.
“I believe several governments have tried to assist the good people of Donkokrom and around but unfortunately none of them has been successful.”
“President Akufo-Addo and his government with the determination and commitment, irrespective of wherever people live, has taken it onboard to ensure that he will extend all infrastructure development to every corner of this country,” he stated.
He continued, “As the Chairman of the Roads and Transport Committee, I think it’s going to be a legacy project. This year, the government is going to do about seven interchanges, and four of them will be in the Ashanti Region. It’s very significant.”
Parliament last week approved three loans totaling €394,999,000 to be allocated for road and bridge constructions in the Kwahu Afram Plains North, South, and Kwahu South districts of the Eastern Region.
The money was secured in agreements signed by Ghana and the Deutsche Bank AG aimed at developing critical road infrastructure to facilitate rapid socio-economic development of the country through the improvement of accesses, reduction in travel times, congestion, vehicle operating costs and accidents.
The amount is made up of UK Export Finance Facility of €113.540 million, Tied Commercial Facility of €51.450 million, and Atradius Credit Facility of €230 million to finance the construction of the Adawso–Ekyi-Amanfrom bridge (approximately 3.0km long) and the road between Adawso and Bunso on the N6 (approximately 128 kilometres) linking the Afram Plains with the commercial, administrative, health and educational centres in the region.
Yesterday, the House again approved the design-build contract agreement between the government and BNIP-Janson-Adawso Consortium of Netherlands for the construction of the bridge over the Afram River.
Mr. Nyarko Osei moved the motion for adoption by the House and it was seconded by the Member of Parliament for Adaklu, Kwame Governs Agbodza.
Project Objective
He said the main objective of the project is to enhance productivity in the agriculture sector of the Afram Plains, and that the project is aimed at constructing the Adawso bridge over the Afram River to promote agriculture in the Afram Basin along with promoting internal and regional integration.
Scope
The project involves the construction of a bridge consisting of the design and construction of approximately 3.0 kilometres (subject to the topographical survey) of a two-lane bridge, including service lanes and walkway on one side to connect Adawso and Ekyi Amanfrom in the Eastern Region by BNIP-Janson-Adawso Consortium.
The bridge project includes the construction of a new toll plaza.
By Ernest Kofi Adu, Parliament House