Accra, Dec.20, - The
Ayimensah-Peduase lodge road was on Wednesday re-opened to traffic after
closure for more than a year due to falling rocks.
Mr Amoako Attah, the Minister for
Highways, who reopened the road, said it had become necessary to open the road
partly because of the slow pace of traffic on the road, adding that, the road
was a very important one for the government, the public and the people of
Akuapem.
He said the road could not be
kept closed indefinitely because the Ministry recognised how relevant the road
was to stakeholders and also due to the festive season, it needed to be opened.
The road was closed to traffic in
May 2016 for works, to make way for the fixing of the falling rocks to ensure
that safety measures were undertaken.
He said the contractor asked for
12 months to complete the work but later extended it to September this year due
to technical reasons.
The contractor, however, is
seeking additional months to complete the work.
The sector Minister assured the
public, especially users of the road not to panic in using the road because the
minimum safety level of the road had been attained.
He urged road users not to panic
because experts had analysed the safety of the road and have assured its safety.
At the site, metallic meshes have
been fastened to tighten the sliding rocks and to prevent them from falling
onto the road.
The Minister indicated that
currently, a secondary mesh had been used to manage the situation until the
final work is done with the primary mesh.
He said the technical persons
were going to keenly monitor the project to ensure that it was completed on
time and in safety.
He assured that the rest of the
work would be done to ensure that the road was permanent safe for road users.
Mr Joseph Akyeampong, the
Managing Director of CST Africa, the company working on fixing the falling
rock, said the progress of work was satisfactory and that road users could
start using it.
He said what was left to be done
was the fixing of the primary mesh to make it more secured for the public,
reiterating the fact that the road was safe for public use as at now.
He said the challenges causing
the delay had been more technical and that his company was in discussion with
the Ministry of Highways and the Ghana Highways Authority to give more time and
funds for the project.
Mr Kwesi Kwao, a taxi driver,
said reopening the road had brought to him and other road users, a relief and
joy because it would assist in reducing the traffic situation, which was
usually experienced on the road.
He recounted how three days ago,
a vehicle knocked down a motor rider after he overtook the rider because all
motorists had to use the same side of the road.
Mr Bright Quartey, a commercial
driver commended the stakeholders for working to ensure that the road was
reopened and was secured.
GNA
No comments:
Post a Comment