Residents Want Tema Bankuman Road Fixed

Residents of Bankuman in Tema Manhean have appealed to government to speed up work on the construction of the major road in the area.

The road which passes through the town, links Tema Newtown and the Fishing Harbour to the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) – Kpone road via the West Africa Gas Pipeline (WAPCo) plant.

Residents told the Ghana News Agency that the road project had been virtually abandoned months after President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo cut sod for its construction.

They noted that it was all joy when sod was cut as they thought their ordeal of traveling on a neglected, dusty and gulley riddled road was over.

To avoid it means staying in long hours of traffic on the narrow Newtown - Tema Community One road.

According to them, the dust in the community was unbearable as contractors only dumped laterite on it occassionaly without compacting and watering.

They said they feared contracting health problems especially respiratory diseases due to the dust engulfing the area.

Some of the residents further complained that their washed clothing becomes dirty whenever they hung them to dry while others noted that their belongings had all turned brownish with dust in their rooms.

They again indicated that some drivers also declined to convey them to their destinations using that road due to its deplorable nature.

The GNA noted that visibility on the road was very poor as a dust cloud hovered on it, a situation that could lead to crashes or pedestrian knock downs.

Some taxi drivers plying Kpone to Newtown said using the road led to the frequent breakdown of their vehicles which resulted in unusual high cost of car maintenance and repair thus robbing them of their earnings.