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The Minister for Roads and Highways, Hon. Joe Kwashie Gidisu, has told Peace FM that the Achimota-Ofankor road project is running at a slow pace because of the huge debt the government owns the Chinese contractors. The contractors, China Railway Corporation, began construction in November, 2006, on the project originally scheduled to elapse within 36 months (by May, 2009), but sources say the whole project might be finally completed in 2011. When completed, the project would have three inter-changes; one in front of Peace FM, the other at Tantra Hills junction and the other at Ofankor. Speaking in an interview on �Kokrokoo�, Hon. Gidisu, who is also the MP for Central Tongu in the Volta Region said the delay in payment, has affected the entire project. He however, assured of government�s determination to ensure some ��this particular project happens to be one of the business roads linking the national capital to other major parts of the country... government is doing all it can to pay part of the debt by the end of October to enable the Chinese contractors to speed up work,� he stated. The 5.7-kilometre Achimota-Ofankor section of the Accra-Nsawam road, which involves the construction of a three-lane carriageway with three interchanges and service lanes, is being funded by the government. It would complete the Kwame Nkrumah Circle-Nsawam road to ease the traffic congestion on the main entry point to Accra from the northern parts of the country. Work is progressing on the Kwame Nkrumah Circle-Achimota section of the road, which is said to be about 95% complete, while the 17.4 kilometre stretch from Ofankor to Nsawam has been completed and commissioned. What has stalled is the construction of the 5.7-kilometre Achimota-Ofankor section of the road.