TIG Post

Tag: Kwesi Amoako Atta

  • Road tolls will be collected electronically – Roads Minister

    The Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwesi Amoako-Atta, has said the mode of collecting road tolls in the country will change when it is re-introduced.

    According to Mr. Amoako-Atta, the payment of road toll will be via electronic means when the levy is reintroduced in 2023.

    “We are going to build modern expressway which will come with tolling facilities but those tolling facilities will be electronic tolling facility…if it has to come, it will be done electronically,” he said.

    He urged road users to be prepared to pay more money for the toll to enable the government to construct enough good roads.

    “The whole year, we were getting an average of GH₵78 million depending upon the ground condition, that amount of money cannot even build 10km of road. We were paying the lowest toll in the whole world. Meanwhile, we want excellent and good roads in our country.

    “We want good things, we must be prepared to pay for more. We will no longer be paying the 50 pesewas and ₵1.”

    Government in November 2021 announced the scrapping of road toll collection on all major highways across the country.

    A year after, the government has made a u-turn to reintroduce the collection of the toll.

    The reintroduction of the road toll is one of the revenue measures contained in the 2023 budget presented to Parliament by the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.

    “The fiscal policy measures to underpin the 2023 Budget for consideration and approval by Parliament include the reintroduction of tolls on selected public roads and highways with a renewed focus on leveraging technology in the collection to address the inefficiencies characterized by the previous toll collection regime,” paragraph 462 of the 2023 Budget statement reads.

    Meanwhile, the Minority in Parliament has stated that they will offer their full support only if the revenue from the collection of the toll would be used solely on road maintenance.

    Source: myjoyonline

  • Dome-Kitase road project ahead of schedule – Contractor

    The Executive Chairman of First Sky Construction Limited, Eric Seedy Kutortse, has given an assurance that his company will complete the Dome-Kitase Road Rehabilitation Project under 20 months.

    That, he said, was because the construction of the 23-kilometre stretch, which commenced in July this year and scheduled to be completed in two years, was already about 30 per cent completed.

    “What we are doing currently is that we are improving the vertical alignment of the road by cutting to formation, and once that is done, the project will be almost 30 per cent completed.

    “So per our programme, by the end of this month we will cut the entire road to formation,” he added.

    Mr Kutortse gave the assurance when the Minister of Roads and Highways, Kwasi Amoako-Atta, visited the project site as part of his routine inspection of ongoing road projects in the country.

    The minister was accompanied by the Eastern Regional Minister, Seth Acheampong, and some senior officials and engineers from the ministry, the Ghana Highway Authority, the Department of Feeder Roads and chief executives of some municipal/district assemblies who had jurisdiction over the project area.

    Mr Kutortse said the company was determined to provide good, quality road infrastructure to accelerate the socio-economic development of the area and the country as a whole in spite of working ahead of time.

    Commendation  Mr Amoako-Atta said he was impressed with the progress of work, and lauded First Sky Limited for the company’s seriousness towards the project.

    “I like what I have seen, and from the briefings that I have had from all the engineers up to the Chief Director who have the technical eye, the construction is according to specifications,” he said.

    “It was supposed to be completed in 24 months, but it is in capable hands, our own and one of the best in the country, so I trust him,” he added.

    He encouraged the company to prioritise the safety of its workers and motorists during the construction process to avoid any incidents.

    Project scope

    The GH¢195 million project, which will cover 23 kilometres, begins from the Dome Roundabout in the Greater Accra Region, through Berekuso and ends in Kitase, both in the Eastern Region.

    It includes a 16.3km two-lane single carriageway with asphaltic concrete surfacing; a 2.8km asphaltic concrete surfacing dual carriageway arterial with auxiliary lanes on both sides for drop off/pick up; and a one-km two-lane single carriageway for Ashesi University, also with asphaltic concrete surfacing.

    Part of the Ofankor-Nsawam road under construction

    The stretch will connect the Accra-Kumasi Road to the Accra-Aburi-Koforidua Road, and provide an alternate route for road users between Accra and Aburi.

    Mr Amoako-Atta also visited the Ofankor-Nsawam Road Rehabilitation Project where he expressed satisfaction with the current state of the project.

    The scheduled works on the 33.4 km stretch, which forms part of the Accra-Kumasi road network, is expected to last two years, ending in July 2024.

    The project being undertaken by Messrs Maripoma Enterprise Limited for GH¢341.48 million will consist of the reconstruction of the existing asphaltic concrete pavement and about nine pedestrian crossing facilities, and four interchanges at Amasaman, Kpobiman, Medie and Nsawam Junction with streetlights.

    The road — currently a two-lane dual carriageway — is being expanded to a three-lane dual carriageway, with service lanes. It will also have adequate drainage structures, traffic signs and road markings.

    Some structures and buildings affected by the project have been marked for demolition.

    Mr Amoako-Atta took time to engage with owners of such structures, and assured them of adequate compensation in due course.

    Source: Graphiconline

  • Ensure speedy delivery of projects – Roads and Highways Minister to contractors

    The Minister of Roads and Highways, Mr Kwasi Amoako-Atta last Saturday inspected some roads in the Eastern Region with a call on contractors to ensure speedy delivery of projects.

    The tour was to afford the minister firsthand information on ongoing major projects under the Ghana Highways Authority and the Department of Urban Roads in the Eastern Region.

    Some of the roads inspected included, the 24.8 kilometre Osiem to Begoro road constructed by General Construction Limited, Suhum-Asamankese road by Muudu Construction Limited, Asamankese roads, Volta Impe Limited; Asamankese-Akroso road, I.B. Maigida Construction Limited; Akroso-Oda, Midwest Construction Limited; Oda-Amonafopong road, Memphis Metropolitan Limited and Erdmac Limited.

    The rest were Kade-Asuom road, constructed by Ghacos Limited, Asuom-Kwabeng, First Sky Limited; Kwabeng-Akyem Akropong, Justmoh Limited; Awenare-Ekroso Asamama, First Sky Limited and Akyem Akropong Awenere town roads, Doncross Limited.

    Mr Amoako-Atta stated that for 10 years, the Akyem Wenchi Junction to Kade road had seen no improvement since it was awarded to the contractors.

    “The government would not sit down for any contractor to delay projects for no just reason and any contractor who unduly delays any project would have his contract immediately terminated,” he warned.

    He added that the contractual relationship between a contractor and the government demanded that contractors fulfilled their part, while the government was also under obligation to do its part, adding that such delays hindered the progress of development of road infrastructure in the country.

    He urged contractor who were working on major road projects to avoid shoddy works and unnecessary delays, urging them to deliver on quality work.

    On the Osiem-Begoro stretch of the road constructed by General Construction Limited, work was almost complete with 14.3 kilometres out of the 24.8 kilometres road receiving its primary seal while the rest of the stretch had been slated to be completed in 8 weeks.

    Mr Amoako-Atta commended the contractor for producing quality work and urged all contractors to emulate, adding that the government would continue to promote quality work, and despise shoddy work.

    He assured that the government would honour all payments due to enable the contractors to work efficiently and effectively, stressing the need for them to work hard to complete all road projects on time.

    The Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Eric Kwakye Darfour who was part of the tour was grateful for work done, recalling that the region was characterised with a lot of bad roads.

    He hoped that most of the roads in the region would be completed in six months and urged the contractors to avoid delays and produce quality work.

     

    Source: ghanaiantimes.com.gh