Minister Queries Delay Of Agona-Tarkwa Road

THE Western Regional Minister, A.E. Amoah, has complained about the delay of the Agona Junction-Tarkwa road.
The project, estimated at ¢141 billion, was scheduled to have been completed in March this year.

Speaking to journalists, Mr. Amoah asked Taysec construction Limited to speed up work since the road is of importance to economic activities in the region and the country, generally.

“The road serves many communities and it is accessible, people can get to the markets and economic activity will take off and improve,” he stated.

He said the railway system was not working as expected a situation, which he noted, made the Tarkwa road very important to the people of the region.

On his part, Dean Parker, Project Manager of Taysec, said the delay in the project was due to the wet condition of the Tarkwa area and poor materials on the ground.

Mr. Parker told the minister that Taysec was discussing the challenges facing it with the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA).

He said escavation work alone totalled 1.2 million cubic metres, and they had covered 600,000 cubic metres. “We are left with another 600,000 cubic metres and that included laying of pipes,” he said.

He gave the assurance that Taysec was doing all that it could to complete the Tarkwa road as soon as possible.

Earlier, Mr. Amoah inspected the 13.7 Km Aboadze-Ayiem road which was completed in April.

The work started in January 2004 and should have been completed in January, this year, but the Regional Engineer of Roads Department, said the delay was due to the issue of compensation.

Asked why the road did not cover the township, Mr. Yawson explained that the contract did not cover the Ayiem township and once the project had commenced, the World Bank, the financiers, would not accept any variation in the plan.