Contractors Demand 30 More Months To Complete Bolga-Bawku-Pulmakom Road

Contractors working on the Bolgatanga-Bawku-Pulmakom road in the Upper East Region say they will require 30 more months to complete the project despite President Akufo-Addo’s 2020 deadline.

Queiroz Galvao Construction Limited was awarded 109km of the 116km road and 7km was awarded to MAWUUMS construction limited in 2016.

They were scheduled for completion by end of 2020.

President Nana Akufo-Addo, while addressing the people of Binaba, in Bawku West District in August 2019 as part of a two-day working visit to the region, expressed the government’s commitment to ensure successful completion of the project.

But, the resident Engineer of Queiroz Galvao, Engineer Peter Dagadu, says only 23 percent of work has been executed on the 109km stretch of road with the remainder expected to be completed in two and a half years.

He disclosed this when the Upper East Regional Minister, Tangoba Abayage, paid a working visit to inspect the spate of work done on the road.

“The road is 109km long and we have split it into 14 lots. Out of the 14 lots, three (3) lots are bridges thus the Kolaa bridge, the Red Volta bridged and the White Volta bridge. Two kilometres from Bolgatanga township will be a dual-carriage road, there will be by-passes in Bawku and Pusiga townships and the rest of the road will be double surface dressing, single carriage road.”

“The 109 kilometres of the road cannot be finished in one year, we have 14 lots and up to now we have only substantially completed lot 10, 8 and 6 and have prepared lot 4 for bitumen. So, we are doing our best and within 30 months we should complete the entire stretch of the 116 km of the Bolgatanga-Bawku-Pulmakom road,” he added.

Meanwhile, residents and commuters are appealing to the contractor to expedite work on the road and constantly water the dusty road under construction to reduce the health hazards it poses to their lives.

“The dust is negatively affecting my laundry business; I cannot wash nor are dry things, the customers are not coming because they think the cloths will get dusty after been washed. So, I'm appealing to the contractor to finish the road for us on time and water the road regularly because inhaling this dust daily is a risk to our health,” one resident, Grace Anafo, said.

But engineer Peter Dagadu said they wet the road regularly though he admitted that the weather conditions dried up the wet road quickly.

The Upper East Regional Minister, Tangoba Abayage expressed satisfaction at the spate of work adding that the project, when completed, will have great socio-economic potentials for the region.

I'm impressed with the work done so far, apart from the dust commuters are complaining about especially on the Zuarungu stretch of road, the speed with which they are working on the road is impressive.

“Once all the arsenals are deployed to the base as they indicate, we are hopeful the road will be completed in 30 months. Pulmakom goes way beyond Bawku and after Bawku is Pulmakom which is virgin land that nothing has ever been done on that stretch of road and I'm sure it is that stretch that is going to delay the process of work”.

However, MAWUUMS Construction Limited has completed its 7 km stretch of the road.

---citinewsroom