The Minister of Roads and Highways, Francis Asenso-Boakye, has assured the people of the Upper East Region that the Brazilian contractor Queiroz Galvao MI will return to the Bolgatanga-Bawku-Pulmakom road project site soon.
He said the contractor, who paused work in February 2023, had requested amendments, which have now been resolved.
During an inspection of the road’s progress, Mr. Asenso-Boakye emphasized the government’s commitment to the project, recognizing it as one of the nation’s crucial roadways. Although he did not specify a timeline, he assured that the contractor would resume work promptly and complete the project.
“The project stalled briefly. It is so because it was a request of the contractor, they needed some amendments to be made, and this is one of the first decisions I have to do as Roads Minister, and the issue of amendments has been resolved. I did so with pleasure because the government considers this project a very important one. I want to assure the good people of Bolgatanga, Bawku, Pusiga, and the entire Upper East region that the contractor, one of the best we have in the country, will come back to site as soon as possible and complete the rest of the work,” he stated.
The Bolgatanga-Pulmakom Road project, designated as national route N11, is a key component of the road network linking Accra, Northern Togo, and South East Burkina Faso.
The road spans seven constituencies: Bolgatanga Central, Bolgatanga East, Nabdam, Zebilla, Binduri, Bawku Central, and Pusiga. It was initially awarded to M/S Queiroz Galvao Construtora for GHC 612,743,844.64 in August 2016, and work began in December 2016 with a completion date set for June 4, 2019.
However, a supplementary agreement was signed in March 2021, involving the Government of Ghana, Queiroz Galvao Construtora, and QG Construction UK Ltd, for a contract sum of €127,229,014.28.
The 117.94 km road project includes a dual carriageway and asphalt for the first 2 km in Bolgatanga, 1 km of asphalt in Zebilla, and the remainder with double bituminous surface dressing. Additionally, the project features three new bridges: a bridge over Kulaa River at Bolgatanga – 70% complete, the bridge over the Red Volta River at Tilli – 70% complete, and a bridge over the White Volta River at Kobore – 2% complete.
The project encompasses two bypasses, which include the Bawku bypass (15.0 km) and the Pusiga bypass (6.9 km). Currently, 76.5 km of the road has been completed and opened to traffic, representing 67% of the project. Work was suspended due to the financier’s inability to honor payment of Interim Payment Certificates (IPCs). The completed sections have already significantly reduced travel time between Bolgatanga and Bawku and enhanced trade with Burkina Faso and Northern Togo.
The Minister of Roads and Highways, Francis Asenso-Boakye, also inspected the ongoing construction of the Chuchuliga-Sandema road.
Source: A1Radioonline.com|101.1MHz|Joshua Asaah|Bolgatanga|Ghana
