The Ministry of Roads and Highways has initiated actions to eradicate illegal miners encroaching upon sections of the project sites for the bypasses along the Kumasi-Accra Highway.
As concerns rise over the impact on the construction progress, the government has vowed to take firm measures to reclaim control and ensure the integrity of the ongoing infrastructure development.
Contractors working on the Osino and Anyinam bypasses find themselves confronted with a formidable challenge as illegal miners have encroached upon the designated right of way for these vital construction projects. The encroachment raises concerns about the potential impact on progress and underscores the need for swift and decisive measures to address the situation.
At the Konongo project site of the bypass, contractors are also dealing with swampy areas as they continue with site-clearing activities.
“Swampy sections are very soft with a lot of water, and you cannot pass a road on it. You have to remove it, and then when you reach a reasonable level of firm ground, you put in your boulders to make sure the underground water does not affect your road. So, if you do not have the equipment to deal with it, it is really difficult to work within such sections.”
Eight local contractors are currently engaged in constructing the four bypasses covering over 45 kilometers specifically on the Konongo, Enyiresi, Anyinam, and Osino sections of the Kumasi-Accra highway.
The completion of the bypasses is expected to reduce travel time, vehicular traffic, and road crashes on the highway.
Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwasi Amoako-Attah, expressed satisfaction during his inspection of ongoing works and pledged the government’s commitment to addressing challenges by providing financial resources for the project.
The Minister bemoaned the activities of illegal miners and expressed the government’s commitment to fight the menace and also make funding available to ensure the completion of the project.
“A lot of the sections that had been worked on already are so much deteriorated by galamsey activities. At one of the stretches at the Osino bypass, the contractors continue to encounter galamseyers, but we have a way of dealing with them.
“I want to assure the contractors that the government stands solidly behind them, and as much as possible, we will continue to make resources available to them because this is a mega project being carried out by the government, and I believe that it will not stall.”