Contractors charged to expedite action on the projects

THE Minister of Roads and Highways, Mr Joe Gidisu, has charged contractors working on major road projects in Accra to expedite action on the projects.
He said: “We want the best value for our money” and urged the contractors to deliver on their promises to complete the projects within the extended period they had requested for after their initial contract period had expired.
He made the statement when he led a delegation from the ministry to inspect some project sites under the Road Sector Development Programme (RSDP) in Accra.
The sites visited by the minister included the Tetteh-Quarshie Mallam Extension project, the Asafoaste Nettey and Korle Lagoon Roads, which entail the construction of some selected roads in the Central Business District of Accra, and the Alajo Bypass, Transport Terminal Extension and Service Roads dubbed the ‘Achimota Terminal project’.
Mr Gidisu gave the assurance that his ministry would liaise with the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning to ensure that outstanding debts due the contractors were paid to ensure the smooth execution of the projects.
Whilst commending the contractors for work done so far at the different project sites, he acknowledged the fact that most of the projects had halted as a result of the delay in the release of funds to pay the contractors.
Mr Gidisu reminded the contractors that although they were expected to complete the various projects on schedule, they should place more emphasis on quality of the work.
The Project Manager for the Achimota Terminal Project, Mr Kwabena Bempong, gave the assurance that the project, which was supposed to be completed by January this year, was 63 per cent and would be ready by July 2009.
He stated that the terminal had work to be completed on a holding area for vehicles and would serve as a major public transport facility for the Kwame Nkrumah Circle-Achimota road, adding that it would be managed by a private administrator and supervised by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly after completion.
The Project Manager for the Asafoaste Nettey and Korle Lagoon roads, Mr Bu Zhueinq also gave the assurance that the first phase of the projects, which involves the construction of the stretch of bridge on the Korle Lagoon, would be completed by the end of October 2009 whilst the second phase, which has already started, would be completed by September 2009.
He promised that the temporary road linking the High Street through James Town to the Asafoaste Nettey Road would also be opened to traffic by May.
Meanwhile, most members of the Used Car Dealers Association of Ghana whose activities delayed the start of the Tetteh-Quarshie Mallam Extension project have relocated to a parcel of land allocated to them at Amasaman, a suburb of Accra.
The Chairman of the association, Nana Yeboah, gave the assurance that the rest of them would relocate soon.
The Project Manager for the Tetteh-Quarshie Mallam Extension work, Mr Koranteng Yorke, promised that the work would be completed on scheduled considering the fact that the used car dealers were co-operating with them.