By Prosper K. Kuorsoh, GNA
Funsi, (U/W), Aug 22, GNA – Government has
secured a Danish mixed facility of 63 million Euros to build seven bridges in
the North, under a project dubbed “Northern Bridges Project”.
The bridges would be constructed in Doninga
in Builsa South, Kulungugu in Bawku Municipal in the Upper East Region and at
Sissili in Sissala East Municipal, as well as on the Kulun and Ambalaara rivers
in the Wa East District, all in the Upper West Region.
Construction of the bridges among others,
according to Mr Kwasi Amoako-Atta, the Minister of Roads and Highways,
would help to address the impact of
perennial flooding on the people of Northern Ghana.
Mr Amoako-Atta was speaking during a durbar
of Chiefs and people of the Funsi Traditional Area, as part of President Akufo
Addo’s two-day tour of the Upper West Region.
The project has already started on the
Doninga and Kulungugu bridges in the Upper East Region.
The contractor is also mobilising to move to
the Upper West Region to start work on Kulun and Ambalaara bridges soon.
“I have good news for you; by the time we
finish building the Doninga, Sissili, Kulun and Ambalaara bridges, a road will
be opened and people traveling from Upper East to Upper West Regions will
shorten their distance by 124-kilometres”, he said.
Mr. Amoako-Atta noted that, apart from the
bridges, the 39-kilometres Wahabu-Funsi-Yala and the 88-kilometre
Wa-Bulenga-Yala roads were also captured in the mid-year budget presented to
Parliament by Finance Minister, Mr Ken Offori-Atta.
He said 23-Kilometres out of the
39-kilometre Wahabu-Funsi-Yala road was captured in the mid-year budget, adding
that, it set his Ministry into working actively to go through the procurement
process as quickly as possible.
He said they took 10-kilometres out of the
remaining kilometres and added to the Funsi town roads, including; the internal
roads of the Funsi Senior High School, which would be built to befit its status
as the district capital.
The Roads Minister again noted that,
28-kilometres out of the total 88-Kilometre Wa-Bulenga-Yala Road was captured
in the mid-year budget, adding that, the remaining 60-kilometres was also
covered under the Sino Hydro facility, which had already taken off.
“The President did us the honour by cutting
the sod for the Sino Hydro Project in Tamale and as I speak to you now, the
Tamale Interchange is progressing steadily.
At Lambussie, Mr Amoako-Atta commended the
land topography of the Lambussie District, saying they would not have
challenges constructing their roads as they strategised to tackle the area’s
roads in two phases.
He said phase one would concentrate on
re-gravelling, while phase two would raise all the re-gravelled roads to
bitumen level.
The Roads Minister said the 4.7-Kilometre
Lambussie road, six-kilometres Zini-Piina-Lambussie Junction road was awarded
to a contractor, at a total cost of GH¢13.9 million.
Also, the 8.5-Kilometre Lambussie-Banmwor
road was awarded at the same cost of 13.9 million, he said, stressing that,
letters were issued to that effect and within the next five weeks the
contractors would move to site.
Mr Amoako-Atta said the almost 40-kilometres
Nadowli-Lawra-Nandom-Hamile stretch of road was being handled of which 82 per
cent of work was done already.
He said the 40-kilometre Hamile-Tumu road
was awarded, and that, the good thing about that road was the social
intervention package that would see to the provision of six boreholes in the
Lambussie District and another 10 in the Sissala West District.
GNA
