I can’t give timelines on PTC interchange project, I don’t control funding – Asenso-Boakye

The Roads Minister, Francis Asenso-Boakye says he cannot provide timelines for the completion of the stalled PTC Interchange in Takoradi because he does not control funding.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the three-tier PTC interchange at the Kwame Nkrumah Roundabout in Takoradi occurred in September 2020, before the general elections.

However, actual construction began 10 months later, following several demonstrations.

The project, initially slated for completion in the second quarter of 2023, has been on hold for nearly a year and a half. The Sino-Hydro contractors left the site on January 15, 2023, due to the withdrawal of creditor support amid IMF negotiations.

The anticipated PTC Interchange project, expected to alleviate traffic in and around Takoradi, is now overgrown and deteriorating, causing discomfort to motorists and residents. Thieves have reportedly started stealing some of the construction parts, according to the project consultants.

Mr Asenso-Boakye, along with the Western Regional Minister and project consultant, visited the abandoned project site. Expressing sympathy for the Sekondi-Takoradi residents suffering due to the project’s abandonment, he said the government plans to carry out some temporary works at the site but did not provide a timeline for these works or the resumption of the major interchange project.

He stated, “Government recognises that it is a major issue and we have been working feverishly with our creditors so that we can arrange the necessary funding. That notwithstanding, I’m aware of the concern of residents here in Sekondi-Takoradi about the inconvenience that this construction has brought to them and as a result, we are taking a decision to make sure that a part of the contract is taken out from the main contract with the Sino-Hydro contractors given to a different contractor with new funding to complete some minimal interventions on the ground here to reduce the inconvenience”.

When asked about a timeline, the Minister did not provide one, stating, “I’m the Roads Minister but I don’t provide the funds so once I get the designs and the estimates, I will engage the Finance Ministry to raise the necessary funding…the most important thing is my commitment and I don’t want this interview to be a subject of timelines. That is not healthy.”

In addition to inspecting the ongoing dualization of the Sekondi to Takoradi road, the minister also inspected the poor condition of the Takoradi to Agona Nkwanta road, the deteriorated Kojokrom roads, and roads in the Shama District.