Users of the Tanoso- Abuakwa route have renewed calls for the completion of an 11-kilometre road from the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital Roundabout to Abuakwa.
The road users say the completion of that stretch will reduce traffic congestion, since other alternative routes that could serve a similar purpose are also not in good shape.
This road connects the Ashanti Region to Western North, Ahafo and Bono Regions.
Construction works on the stretch started twelve years ago under then President John Agyekum Kufuor; but the work is yet to be completed.
Those who ply the road say it is not spacious enough; and since construction works have halted for years, they spend more hours in traffic for a distance that should take less time. They want government to complete the project which has unduly delayed.
“It is terrible. Because of the traffic congestion on this road, we have to spend about two hours from Tanoso to Abuakwa for a distance that should have taken some few minutes. I can even get to Sunyani with the same two hours if not for the traffic situation,” a commercial driver lamented.
“It’s been a headache to all of us here because looking at the nature of the road, it has remained uncompleted for a very long time. We have been paying taxes but we are not seeing what we are supposed to get from the government in return. Physically, we don’t see it. With the road we are plying on, our cars get damaged because of the poor nature of the road,” another road user expressed his frustration.
The road users say other alternative routes that could lessen their burden are equally in bad shape.
While calling for construction works on the main road to be completed, they also want the Dominase-Topre road that connects to Abuakwa, together with other roads in the area constructed to make movement much easier. According to them, the Dominase-Topre road, in particular, causes a lot of damage to their vehicles, hence the need for that to be fixed as well.
The Urban Roads Department in the Ashanti Region says the eleven Kilometre road has already been awarded on contract, but the project has stalled due to lack of funds.
The Urban Roads officials, who wouldn’t speak on record, could not confirm any timeline for the resumption of work on the road.
They also could not say when the other adjoining roads would be constructed.