Public Agenda NewsPaper Ghana's only Advocacy & Development Newspaper
Commercial and Private vehicle drivers plying the Adeiso-Bawjiase trunk road have expressed satisfaction over the swift completion of the highway.
According to them, the current seamless state of the road has enhanced their economic fortunes as they extol the government and the construction company for the exceptional work done.
Funded by the Government of Ghana and executed by General Construction and Development Ltd, the 15- kilometers road connects Adeiso, the capital of Upper West Akim District in the Eastern Region to Bawjiase in the Awutu Senya West District in the Central Region.
Regular users of the road in the past have complained about the deplorable state of the highway which compelled them to meander through several potholes before getting to their various endpoints.
“We are now very happy about the state of the road, we use to suffer before we get to Bawjiase or Swedru because there were several potholes on the road. So we used to waste a lot of time on the way before we get to our destinations,” Kofi Fijay, a resident of Topiase told Public Agenda in an interview when the News portal toured the road this week.
Kofi Fijay added that the rehabilitation of the road has given both drivers and commuters some respite as it has drastically reduced travel time and consistent breakdowns of vehicles on the road.
He praised the contractor- General Construction and Development Limited for doing a very good job.
He said, “I have been around since the rehabilitation works started and I have witnessed the quality of work done on this road. The contractor has done very well by constructing all the gutters, concrete bridges, and all other things. The only thing that is left with now is the road markings. We want to urge the contractor to come and do the markings for us.”
Emmanuel Kofiga, a driver and resident of Fianko a community along the rehabilitated road was excited that after the completion of the road, there has been an emergence of new vehicles plying the road which was previously not the case.
Mr Kofiga explained further, “At first there were only rickety commercial vehicles using the road but now, we have very new commercial vehicles plying this road both day and night.”
Public Agenda could not reach General Construction and Development Limited for its comments.
Several efforts were also made by Pubic Agenda to get some comments from the District Chief Executive of Upper West Akim District Assembly, Mr Eugene Kwabena Sackey but he did not make himself available.
Nonetheless, industry watchers appear to have taken note of the quality works of General Construction and Development Limited. In June 2020, the Minister for Roads and Highways, Hon. Kwesi Amoako Atta commended General Construction and Development Limited for its diligence in the execution of road projects in the country.
Specifically, the Roads Minister commended the Company for the topnotch execution of the Osiem to Begoro road in the Eastern Region, while urging other contractors to emulate a good example of General Construction and Development Limited.
The Minister gave the compliment during a three-day working visit to the Eastern Region at the time to monitor the progress of some road contracts in the region.
Similarly, in May 2020, when the rehabilitation works were ongoing, Mr Stephen Kwame Quaye, the then-District Chief Executive of Awutu Senya West District Assembly stressed the project was a big step towards expanding socio-economic activities in an area, which had not seen any major facelift of its road networks for so many years.
He expressed delight about the intensity at which General Construction and Development Ltd is implementing the project, noting that per what he has observed so far, the project would be excellently executed and would be completed within schedule in order to bring respite to the people.
He added, “I am very happy with the way the contractor is working; I like the whirlwind speed at which they are working and the Assembly has been giving the contractor all the necessary support that he needs. We will continue to give them the support they need till the project is completed.”
He indicated that the reconstruction of the road would bring a huge economic boost and also facilitate trade and marketing amongst the people in the districts while bringing relief to commuters and drivers.
The government, according to him, had kept to its promise of constructing and tarring the Bawjiase- Adeiso road and beyond to facilitate the transportation of goods and services.
He told Public Agenda that on completion, the project would ease the difficulties farmers experience in transporting their produce from other parts of the country to one of the oldest and biggest market centers in the Central Region.
By: Mohammed Suleman/Publicagendagh.com
