Rehabilitating Roads in the Rural Areas

A GNA Feature by Sammy Veddi

Ho, Nov 20, GNA - Bad roads have been identified as a contributing factor to the poor development in rural areas in the country. It is in this vein that most of the rural communities are calling for rehabilitation of both their feeder and trunk roads.

The roads in the Central Volta to the Northern sector of the Volta Region, until recently was nothing to write home about. However, people in this area could now count on the government for the recent response to their plight.

The government has responded to the pleas of traditional rulers, including Togbega Gabusu VI the Paramount Chief of the Gbi traditional area, and some religious leaders and now three contractors, including an Israeli firm are working on the 84-kilometre Kpeve-Hohoe-Jasikan road. The contractors are Gbewa contractors who are working on the Kpeve-Golokwati road, Roliden contractors, an Israeli firm, on the Golokwati- Hohoe road and Somuah and Dapaah construction on the Hohoe-Jasikan road.

The road that hitherto had numerous potholes, manholes and ponds that some drivers call "fishpond" spread over it, is now getting better. Drivers are not meandering on the road as before and activities of unemployed youth including school dropouts on the road filling potholes for tips from drivers are decreasing.

Citizens from the area, who have been leaving their cars at Atimpoku to join commercial vehicles to their hometowns are now seen driving in their cars to funerals on Friday evenings and Saturdays. Joe Kamasa, a restaurant operator in Accra who hails from one of the villages along the road, praised the government for the on-going rehabilitation of the road but called on the authorities to install road signs in some areas.

"Areas like Woadze must get a sign that would order drivers to reduce their speeding, while Nyagbo and Avatime junction should get a sign warning drivers of the dangerous curves.

Komla Akpo, a driver, was however not happy with the slow pace of work by the contractor working on the Kpeve-Golokwati road but expressed his happiness for the good work being done by the contractor. Commercial drivers at Jasikan and beyond have also expressed their gratitude to the government.

Kojo Seidu, a driver of a truck, which conveys yams from Nkwanta to Accra, exclaimed that the rehabilitation of the road has come to save drivers from buying spare parts.

Drivers plying between Golokwati and Hohoe were not happy with the condition of roads in the area until the District Chief Executive for Hohoe, Mr James Dogbe, announced the presence of the Israeli firm, which was coming to work on it.

The contractor has moved to the site at Avega near Gbi-Godenu to commence work on the road.

Mr. John Asamoah, Hohoe District Director of Feeder Roads, said a total of 200 kilometres of feeder roads was being maintained in the Hohoe District, while the road from Le Klebi Dafor through Le Klebi Duga to Hohoe to Logba would be tarred . Nov. 20 04