More than 45 kilometers of the Kumasi-Accra highway are being dualized in order to enhance travel time and prevent accidents in the corridor.
The project is being funded by the Ghanaian government at a cost of 1.9 billion Cedis and is being carried out by local construction enterprises.
The Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwasi Amoako-Attah, brought this to light during an inspection visit of the project sites.
More than 45 kilometers of Ghana’s core road corridor, which stretches from Kumasi to Accra, are being dualized.
The entire project, which includes by-passes, has been divided into four lots and is being carried out by eight local firms. Two construction firms are working on each of the dual carriageways with the aim of encouraging efficiency, cost-effectiveness and timely delivery.
From Kumasi, the first Lot, known as the Konongo By-Pass, stretches for kilometers from Ohene Nkwanta to Yawkwei; work began in August last year and is expected to be finished in 36 months.
Even after the Kumasi-Accra highway was built, the Konongo township continues to face considerable automotive congestion, particularly on market days, generating serious vehicular and people transportation challenges.
During an inspection tour of the project sites by the Minister for Roads and Highways, Akwasi Amoakoa-Atta, the Project Manager, and Engineers at the Ministry to familiarize themselves with the progress of work, it was discovered that the contractor is encountering larger swampy areas than anticipated.
According to Kwabena Owusu Aduomi, Engineer of Kofi Job Construction Limited, the project would be completed if the government maintains its existing financial commitment.
The Minister and his engineers also checked on the status of work on the remaining three lots. The Anyinam By-Pass is one of them, with a project span of 24 months beginning in June 2023. The Minister also visited the Asiakwa-Bunso-Osino Bypass, which is being developed in collaboration by First Sky Limited and Justmo Construction Company Limited.
This Lot entails the building of a number of overpasses and significant concrete bridges over several bodies of water, notably Supon, and is expected to be completed in 30 months. The Roads and Highways Department has learned that the contractors are now being confronted with a small scale mining site within the right of way requiring the intervention of the Minister.
The Minister asked personnel at the Ghana Highway Authority, the Supervising Agency, to determine if the mining enterprise is working lawfully or illegally in order to provide the necessary solutions to permit the construction.
Speaking to media, Kwasi Amoako-Attah highlighted that the dualization of the Kumasi-Accra highway is part of the government’s larger ambition to dualize all trunk routes in the nation, not just to make traveling easier for motorists and commuters, but also to help minimize road accidents.
According to the Minister, the total cost of the project is projected to be 1.9 billion Ghana Cedis from Government of Ghana sources. The four Lots are in various levels of completion.