A mining firm in the Upper Denkyira West District in the Central Region, Perseus Mining, has agreed to undertake maintenance work on portions of the Kwame Prakrom-Ayanfuri road.
The maintenance work, which would largely concentrate on spots improvement, would be expected to improve the eight-kilometer stretch and make it more usable to help ameliorate the plights of the inhabitants and other users.
Portions of the eight-kilometre stretch that links the area to Ayamfuri have several dangerous potholes, and this situation has always created anxiety and high levels of nervousness among drivers, commuters, and residents in general.
In view of this, residents of Kwamepra Krom and its environs, as well as other road users in the area, have been complaining bitterly about the deplorable nature in recent times.
Following the continues cry of the people, the District Chief Executive (DCE) for the area, Mr. Richmond Koduah, responded positively with an assurance that plans were underway to get their concerns addressed in due time.
Mr. Koduah, therefore, made a passionate appeal to the mining company to kindly come to the assistance of the people and help to improve the condition of the road to make it more user-friendly.
“We called on Perseus Mining Company to come and assist us with spot improvement while we wait for a contractor to permanently come and construct the road, thus the asphalt overlay,” he told The Chronicle, adding, “they accepted our humble request, but then they needed a formal letter from the Highways permitting them to do so, therefore, we followed the necessary processes.”
In a letter to the Regional Highways office, Mr. Koduah indicated that “Four major sections of the road have been identified as being in poor conditions, which impede vehicular movement on the stretch, which, in our assessment, require immediate attention.”
“We are, therefore, seeking your express permission for works to commence in earnest on the selected spots on the road to reduce the unabated backlash from commuters on the road, which is worrying to the District Assembly and Perseus Mining Ghana Limited.”
Responding to the request, the acting Central Regional Director of Highways, Mr. Mark Okyere, explained that the referenced road was under contract with Messrs Ghacos Limited as the contractor, but works had been suspended pending approval of a variation order.
He further explained that “The authority and the contractor both agreed on Perseus mining’s request to improve sections of the road which are currently in bad condition.”
Mr. Okyere explicitly explained in his approval letter that “The works should be done with materials meeting the Ministry of Roads and Highways specifications preferably 0/40mm crush rock.”
He again ordered that “The work should be done under supervision of the Road Area Manager and the Contractor’s representative.”
Mr. Koduah told The Chronicle that though Perseus Mining was fully committed to improving the current state of the road to bring relief to the people, the government would not renege on its decision to get the road permanently fixed.
He, therefore, appealed to the residents to keep calm while the contractor sought approval of a variation order to move to site and commence work.
