An artistic impression of the PTC interchange
Plans by political leaders and stakeholders in Western Region to divert the Takoradi PTC road from today, Monday August 15, to pave way for construction works on the much talked about interchange has been postponed.
This follows protests by executives of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union on new routes to be plied by their members. A new date is yet to be fixed for the diversion, which will last a year, the scheduled period for completion of the interchange.
Some of the executives who spoke to Daily Statesman complained that they were not officially informed of the diversion.
Disrespect
According to them, no letter was sent to them about the impending move but only heard of it on local radio stations. This, they said, is a sign of disrespect to the Union, as the country’s major commercial transport entity.
The GPRTU executives therefore called for a meeting with the Regional Co-ordinating Council, Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly, Department of Urban Roads, Ghana Highways Authority and the contractors to reach a consensus on the diverted routes.
Construction of the PTC interchange in Takoradi, which is a Synohydro project, brings to five the number of such facilities in Ghana under the Akufo-Addo led NPP government.
Still ‘419’?
Vice-President Bawumia cut the sod in September last year to kick start the project. Things however didn’t go as planned due some hiccups.
The opposition National Democratic Congress capitalized on the delay to rubbish the project, describing it as ‘419’ meant to win votes for NPP. But government insisted it would come off ‘live and coloured.’
Execution of the Takoradi PTC interchange will, among other things, create jobs for the youth and ease traffic congestion in the oil city.
The residents have therefore expressed gratitude to government for it as well as ongoing redevelopment of the Takoradi market. Government, in a related development, is also making fervent moves to start reconstruction of the deteriorating Takoradi-Tarkwa road.
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