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The Ministry of Roads and Highways has secured US$234.9 million to embark on extensive road construction and rehabilitation projects in many parts of the country in 2012. Other funds include 70 million Euros and 180 million Danish Krona. Some of the major projects expected to begin next year are the reconstruction of the 25-kilometre Takoradi-Agona Junction road, funded by DANIDA and the government at a cost of DKK180 million, and the rehabilitation of the 110-kilometre Agona Junction-Elubo stretch, to be funded by the World Bank at a cost of US$112 million. Others are the reconstruction of the 94.4-kilometre Tarkwa-Bogoso-Ayamfuri road, to be funded by the European Union (EU) at a cost of 70 million euros, and the rehabilitation of the Adomi Bridge in the Eastern Region, at a cost of 12.9 million Euros. Addressing the meet-the-press series in Accra Wednesday, the Minister of Roads and Highways, Mr Joe Gidisu, said the road projects were intended to improve the conditions of life of the people. �The procurement of consulting services for detailed design and construction supervision for the Takoradi-Agona Junction road is ongoing and work will commence in the first quarter of 2012,� he said. The Department of Feeder Roads (DFR), the Department of Urban Roads (DUR), the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA), as well as the Road Fund, operate under the Ministry of Roads and Highways. Recounting the successes and challenges of the various departments, Mr Gidisu stated that the GHA, for instance, undertook 9,262 km of routine maintenance works, representing 83 per cent of the approved programme of 11,200 km. The GHA also worked on127km of periodic maintenance works, representing 43 per cent above the approved programme of 89 km. In addition, it also undertook the construction of 9 km of town roads and 50 km of upgrading works this year. The DUR also graded 1,8881 km and patched 26,715 km of roads under routine maintenance. The department, according to Mr Gidisu, also constructed 173 km of concrete drains and carried out periodic maintenance on 156 km of roads. Meanwhile, the DFR, within the same year, also undertook 10,408 km of routine maintenance and 448 km of periodic maintenance. It also constructed eight steel bridges. Other projects which were also receiving attention included the Eastern Corridor roads which stretch from Tema-Atimpoku-Asikuma-Hohoe-Nkwanta-Yendi to Nakpanduri-Kulungu. He acknowledged that �an extensive section of this corridor is in a poor condition� but added that plans were far advanced to see to its development. When completed, the road project would significantly reduce travel time between the northern and the southern parts of the country. He stated that the government was aggressively pursuing the completion of some critical roads such as the Tetteh-Quarshie-Madina, Madina-Pantang and Achimota-Ofankor roads to ease congestion on the corridors. The minister also announced that the Adomi Bridge in the Eastern Region would be closed down for rehabilitation works in June next year. The 34-page statement also contained issues related to the Road Fund, which has yielded GH�153 million this year, the cocoa roads project with the Ghana COCOBOD for the rehabilitation of critical cocoa roads and the construction of the Bus Rapid Transit being undertaken by the Department of Urban Roads.