The Kumasi-Obuasi highway expansion project, which was started to address concerns about increasing crashes and vehicular traffic jams on the road, has been abandoned, leaving motorists and residents in the area to suffer.
Vehicular traffic on the Nkronza-Pakyi section of the highway is distressing to road users, who have to contend with gullies that have formed on the edges of the road, especially after the rains.
Several lives have also been lost due to road crashes on this stretch.
Contractors have since abandoned the site, worsening the difficulty of travelling on the stretch.
Motorists are now forced to use alternative routes to avoid the stress of using the section of the road that has developed potholes and pits.
One driver, Yaw Obeng, said: “The intervention to widen the road has not helped us at all. Drivers and other road users have gone through challenges after the contractors came to the site to begin work. Gullies have formed on the edges of the road and traveling on it becomes very dangerous, especially when it rains.
“Drivers have to use alternative routes to avoid the stress of using the section of the road that has developed potholes and pits. If the government is not ready to complete the project, we can only plead that the potholes and the pits that have been formed on the road are fixed to save drivers and other road users. Road crashes are also getting intense, and there should be an immediate intervention by the authorities.
The stretch, especially the Dominase and Adjemesu section, has become narrow, with gullies on the edges of the road after the project was abandoned.
Some gullies have been filled with stagnant water, posing a danger to first-time users of the road.
A resident, Bashiru Diaso, unhappy about the development, lamented: “There is a big pit at the Dominase section of the road, and that has resulted in several accidents. People often politicize the issues, but it is not about politics. We want development. The authorities do not care about us. The contractor came to demolish the structures but has since left the road without completing the project.”
Road users and residents in the area are expressing their disappointment about the development. Major road infrastructure projects in parts of the Ashanti Region have been abandoned, leaving commuters and motorists to bear the brunt of the traveling difficulties.
A resident of Adjamesu, Akwasi Obeng, angered by the stalled road projects in the Ashanti region, said the inhabitants must show their anger at the ruling party for failing to deliver on promises. He added: “It is about time the people of the Ashanti Region change their preference for the NPP. It is the Ashanti Region that votes massively to ensure the NPP wins power, but the people here are always neglected in terms of developmental projects.
People are saying they won’t vote in the next elections, but the majority will still vote for the ruling party. If the road is not done before the elections, we have to decide on the ballot. We will not beg them to come and fix the road, but the decision will be made when the elections are due. Other political parties that usually do not get more votes from this region have positive thoughts about the development here.”
Drivers and commuters have warned of dangers in using the road if authorities fail to continue and complete the project.
Source: CNR
