No matter your status in society and the expensive car you drive in, one road that would force you keep a stiff upper lip is the Nsawam- Suhum road.
The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, recently used the road on his way to Accra to deliver the keynote address at the 19th GJA Awards night.
Despite having an option to travel by air, the renowned king chose to do this by road and to personally acquaint himself with reports of the roads bad nature; and it was a pity to behold his convoy struggling to drive through the unmotorable road.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu II was extremely unhappy at the deplorable nature of the road and challenges it poses to social development, particularly to communities in the area, and the inconvenience it causes to passengers leading to many drivers resorting to diverting their routes.
The construction of the Suhum-Nsawam section of the Accra-Kumasi Road Project, which links Accra to the Ashanti, Brong Ahafo and the three Northern Regions, has stalled for nearly seven years, a development which is having a heavy toll on the business activities of the good people of Suhum and its surroundings.
Commuters on that stretch of the road have had cause to complain about its terrible condition with commercial drivers who ply that route bearing the most brunt as their vehicle parts get damaged frequently; whiles also seriously affecting economic activities.
The late former President John Evans Atta Mills, and even current President John Dramani Mahama have all inspected the project on a couple of occasions and directed the contractors working on the delayed portions of the road to speed up work.
Recently, the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs led by the Okyenhene, Osagyefo Amoatia Oforipanin and his sub-chiefs expressed their misgivings over the bad roads in the above-mentioned areas, when they inspected the deplorable roads in the region.
Currently, work has come to a virtual standstill leaving many Ghanaians to wonder when the project would resume.
Peacefmonline.com is privileged to share with visitors to the site pictures of the current state of deplorable road and how Otumfuo�s convoy struggled to meander its way through the bad nature of the road.
Can anyone out there see the bad state of this road?
The King On Suhum's Bad Roads
The King On Suhum's Bad Roads
The King On Suhum's Bad Roads
The King On Suhum's Bad Roads
The Suhum road is a threat to all users
The King On Suhum's Bad Roads
The King On Suhum's Bad Roads
The King On Suhum's Bad Roads
The King On Suhum's Bad Roads
The King On Suhum's Bad Roads
The King On Suhum's Bad Roads
four-wheels forced to ride slow on the bad Suhum road
The King On Suhum's Bad Roads
The King On Suhum's Bad Roads
The King On Suhum's Bad Roads
The King On Suhum's Bad Roads
The King On Suhum's Bad Roads
An aerial view of the bad Suhum road
The project awarded in November 2006 should have been completed in November 2009 but has suffered delays owing to lack of funds. It is under the Accra-Kumasi Dualisation Project.
A couple of months ago, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA), Baba Kassim, assured work on the Accra-Kumasi road will soon continue but not until government honours its side of the bargain by releasing funds to defray the debt owed the contractor for the continuation of the project.
He told Kwami Sefa Kayi, host of Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" morning show, that the government owes the contractor a whopping US$60m, and until the funds are released, the contractor cannot be expected to resume work.
The 31.7-kilometre stretch is being built into a dual carriageway with asphalt concrete surfacing and an interchange at Suhum.
Peacefmonline.com is privileged to share with visitors to the site pictures of the current state of deplorable road and how Otumfuo�s convoy struggled to meander its way through the bad nature of the road.
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