The current state of the Tarkwa-Takoradi road
Western Regional Minister Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah has hinted that the Takoradi-Tarkwa road project will be a dual carriage one.
He mentioned that the dualisation of the highway would be captured in the government’s 2020 budget statement and economic policy, which would be read by Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta this month.
The minister was responding to a series of complaints made by residents and motorists about the deplorable nature of the Apowa-Agona-Nkwanta road and the Takoradi-Tarkwa highway.
Some of the residents could not fathom why the road that leads to Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality— an area that produces gold, manganese, rubber, timber, cocoa and other natural resources — could be in such deplorable state.
The people, including traditional rulers and opinion leaders, had also embarked on a series of demonstrations to protest the bad nature of the road.
Even though several maintenance works had been undertaken on that stretch of the road, it has deteriorated quickly due to the axle loads of haulage trucks that ply the road.
One could count close to hundred huge gullies and ruts on that stretch, causing vehicular breakdown and accidents almost every day.
Speaking on Takoradi-based Skyy Power FM, Mr. Darko-Mensah noted that construction works on the Takoradi-Tarkwa highway were set to commence following a cabinet decision to include the project in government’s public infrastructural projects.
“Just recently some rehabilitation works were initiated by JUSTMOH Construction on the Takoradi-Agona-Nkwanta stretch but was halted for some proper engineering work to be taken on the road. We are in the process of getting JUSTMOH back on the road and do the proper scarifying, patching and pavement and some asphalt,” he pointed out.
“I believe the Tarkwa road project will be captured in the 2020 budget which will be read in this November, or better still will be mentioned by the President in the State of the Nation Address in January next year,” he stressed.
Mr. Darko-Mensah mentioned other road networks in the Western Region that would soon be constructed are the Bawdie-Suroso-Samrenboi-Asankrangwa road and Bogoso Junction to Huni Valley road.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi