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Roads and Highways Minister Kwasi Amoako-Atta
The Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwasi Amoako-Atta, has appealed to Ghanaians to retain the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and President Akufo-Addo in the upcoming December elections for more infrastructure in the roads sector.
According to him, a lot of critical roads in the country are currently receiving major facelift.
Speaking at the Nation Building Updates in Accra yesterday, the Minister disclosed that government, through its ‘Year of Roads’ agenda, is constructing and upgrading critical roads of length 2,319.79 kilometers to bring relief to road users in the country.
The programme was on the theme ‘Rebuilding Ghana’s Road Network.
Road rehabilitation
He said, between 2017 and 2020, the Department of Urban Roads asphalted 1,005km of roads in major towns and cities across the country, including hospitals, schools, courts, police, army, and other security services compounds.
“As part of the government’s ‘Year of Road’ programme, critical roads of total length 2,076.84km were identified in all the 16 regions of the country for rehabilitation at a cost of GHC 6.1billion,” he said.
He added that before the NPP government assumed office in 2017, only 78,400 kilometers of roads were paved or tarred, representing 23 per cent of the country’s road network. He noted that the remaining 77 per cent of roads were in terrible conditions, a situation which was a disincentive to national development.
Recounting the kilometers of roads that are being fixed and rehabilitated, Mr Amoako-Atta said, so far, 304 road projects are ongoing in cocoa and coffee growing areas in the country.
This, he said, include 1,425 kilometers of feeder roads and 1,282 kilometers of trunk roads. He noted that alongside the construction of roads, the government is also embarking on an asphalt overlay programme of 1,005 km of inner city roads.
He said through the construction of roads, the government is working to create opportunities for all Ghanaians, ensure a resiliently built environment and maintain a stable and united society.