Kennedy Osei Nyarko, Chairman of Roads and Transport Committee of Parliament, said the government had successfully awarded eight separate contracts to local fully resourced contractors to construct the four by-passes on the Apedwa–Kumasi road.
He said the government had committed two billion Ghana Cedis for the construction of the four by-passes to ease the traffic on the Accra to Kumasi road as part of its plans to dualise major highways in the country.
The Chairman stated this during a press briefing in Accra on the dualisation of the nation’s roads that the Government intended to do, especially on major highways.
He said the first by-pass on the Accra–Kumasi road would take place at Osino, about 11.6km, which would be constructed by two big local companies – First Car Limited and Josmo Construction Ltd.
He noted that the second by-pass would take place at Anyinam, about 6.1km, which would be done by Nark Fememond and Hadrick Limited, adding that the third one was the Ngleshie by-pass, 10.5km long, which would also be constructed by Resource Access Limited and Memphis Metropolitan Construction Ltd.
Mr Nyarko said the last one would be a by-pass at Konongo, which was 13.5km, which would be done by Kofi Job Company Ltd and Joshob Construction Ltd.
“The Government has taken this decision as a result of the numerous accidents on our roads, especially the Accra-Kumasi road and the traffic congestion that goes on that route and has decided to use these four by-passes to dualise that road to easy access for commuters on the road,” he said.
He said the project was a major intervention by the Government, saying, “The Government made the promise and the Government is delivering that promise”.
“It is going to cost the Ghanaian taxpayer two billion Ghana Cedis for this project to go on; these are going to be dual carriages, that would easy transportation challenges.”
Mr Nyarko said, “like President John Agyekum Kufuor did at Nkwawkaw by-pass to make easy access, so that there wouldn’t be much more traffic.”
“Currently, you know where the traffic builds up on the Accra-Kumasi road and the engineers have looked at it carefully and they have decided that we need to have these four by-passes,” he said.
He reiterated that this shows how committed the Akufo-Addo Government was in addressing the nation’s road issues.
“President Kufuor started the dualisation from Nsawam, all the way to Suhum, we completed the first part of it – the first lane, the second lane that they started to a certain point, they couldn’t finish it; eight years later, the NDC (National Democratic Congress) abandoned that stretch, they couldn’t do it.”
He said President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo during his tenure decided to continue the other lane to Apadwa junction; saying that Ghanaians were all witnesses to the work that had gone on.
He said in addition, the government had decided to do these four major by-passes and that if these by-passes were completed, Ghanaians all know the economic benefits that would enure to the country.
Mr Nyarko said recently, the government had already secured a facility to dualise the Tema Motorway (Roundabout to Aflao Road) and that 17km of it had been awarded, which was being executed by a British Company, BMH.
He said the Government was looking for another facility for construction works beyond the 17km of the Tema Motorway (Roundabout) – Aflao Road.
