Government To Release Funds For Emergency Roadworks

The government is to release about GH¢40 million as emergency funding to fix some of the roads that have been damaged in Accra as a result of the heavy rains.

Out of the amount, about GH¢30 million is to be spent on asphalt overlays, among other works, while the remaining amount is to be used for the dredging of some water channels to carry more water and prevent the destruction of the roads.

The Director of the Department of Urban Roads, Mr Abass Mohammed Awolu, disclosed this in an interview with the Daily Graphic, following concerns raised by motorists about the bad nature of the roads after the heavy rainfall.

Scope of work

Between 120 and 200 kilometres of roads have been earmarked for resealing.

“Again, already we are looking at Accra/Tema area and considering more than 200 kilometres of roads for the asphalt overlay”, he said and added “As a result of the rains, we also have some washouts of some culverts towards the East Legon Galaxy School and the Nima areas”.

Mr Awolu also said there were other roads that had not even been paved whose surfaces had been worsened by the rains, hence the need to restore them to motorable levels.

Support from contractors

According to him, following discussions with the minister, “our pothole-patching contractors have all come on board to help address the challenges”.

According to him, the contractors had pledged to patch potholes on the roads this month as part of their corporate social responsibility to restore the roads to their normal condition.

“So 25 of the contractors in Accra, Ga South to Tema and Ashaiman are on board and they will be working day and night to fix the roads,” he added.

Roads with more traffic

“More importantly, for some of the roads that carry a lot more traffic, for instance the Ring Road, between Awudome and Obetsebi Lamptey Circle, the roads are bad. Also the Danquah Circle and Labone Junction will be considered, as well as the La Beach Road”, he said.

Mr Awolu explained that on the La Beach Road, for instance, it was the intention of the department to patch the potholes on that stretch and complete it with an asphalt overlay to preserve the roads.

He also said a section of the coastal road between Sakumono Village and Tema, Ashaiman and Tema, from the hospital roads would be asphalted.

“We already have some contracts running on the streets of Accra and Tema and some of the roads were not originally part of that so we will discuss with the ministry to have those roads fixed,” he said.

He said the department was also considering the resealing of some of the roads within areas such as Dzorwulu, Abelenkpe, Sabon Zongo and Banana Inn, where some roads got damaged by the rains. He also said that the roads that had more traffic would have asphalt overlays.

Meanwhile, he added, the efforts of the sector minister to secure all the necessary support to deal with the roads had resulted in the World Bank pledging its support to help deal with the challenges.