TRAFFIC SIGNALS NOT FUNCTIONING BECAUSE OF CHALLENGES

09/07/10 The Deputy Minister for Roads and Highways, Hon. Nii Okley Quaye-Kumah today listed before Parliament the myriad of challenges that prevents traffic signals from functioning effectively on our roads.

He intimated that traffic lights depend on secured controllers, available electric power and efficient maintenance contractors; to work effectively.
Hon. Nii Okley Quaye-Kumah was responding to a question filed by Hon. Benito Owusu-Bio, MP for Atwima-Nwabiagya who wanted to know what his Ministry is doing to ensure traffic lights on our roads work effectively.
The Deputy Minister lamented that over the years, various intersections controlled by traffic signals experience varying energy fluctuations leading to the destruction of the controllers and bulbs of the signal heads. On other occasions, he complained, vehicles run into the signal poles, damaging the components.

The traffic signals also function for a short time because of change in technology and inability of maintenance contractors to procure necessary parts in good time, Nii Okley Quaye-kumah added.
Hon. Benito Owusu-Bio again sought to know from Hon. Quaye-Kumah when speed ramps will be constructed on the highways within Atwima Koforidua, Nkawie, Sepaase, Atwima Abuakwa, Ntensere and Mfensi to prevent pedestrians from being frequently knocked down by vehicles on high speed.
The latter reiterated saying a contract recently awarded for pothole patching, cracks sealing and repairing deteriorated sections of roads is in progress. He said in future, speed calming devices will be provided in the said towns under the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) maintenance programme when the potholes and deteriorated sections would have been repaired. The move, he intimated, is to ensure vehicles plying the roads comply with speed limits.

Atwima Koforidua, Nkawie, Sepaase, Atwima Abuakwa, Ntensere and Mfensi are towns on the Kumasi-Sunyani road. The road, surfaced with asphaltic concrete has few potholes and cracks and though there is no speed calming devices in these towns, speed limit signs have been provided.
The Deputy Roads and Highways Minister earlier responded to various questions related to road maintenance and construction.
Hon. Stephen Kwaku Balado Manu, MP for Ahafo-Ano South wanted to know why works on the Fawoma-Sabronum road has stalled.
Hon. Okley Quaye-Kumah answered that the said road was awarded in May 2006 to a contractor for bituminous surfacing and should have been completed in May 2008 but the contractor delayed the project and has abandoned the site since September 2008.
The project has however been completed up to base level while the contract has been recommended for termination, the outstanding works will be re-packaged and re-awarded in 2011, he hinted.

The 15.3km Fawoma-Sabronum feeder road is located in the Ahafo-Ano South District of the Ashanti Region. It is engineered and in good condition.
The Member for Okere, Hon. Daniel Kwaku Botwe, subsequently, sought to know from the Deputy Roads and Highways Minister when washed out sections of the road between Abonsie and Aseseso; and the Apirede-Trom feeder road, all in the Okere Constituency will be repaired and surfaced respectively.
Hon. Okley Quaye-Kumah said the Abonsie-Aseseso feeder road forms part of a package for the surfacing of Apirede-Trom road and a variation order has subsequently been issued to address the washout, the scope of which involves the construction of box culverts on the road.
Work, he added is on-going and is expected to be completed, end 2010.
The Apirede-Trom feeder road, the Minister further stated was programmed for bituminous surfacing in 2006, the contract of which began in January 2007 and scheduled to complete in January 2009.
He said, to date the contractor has completed 6.8km of primer seal which constitute 80% of the works. Nonetheless, work is in progress, Mr. Quaye-Kumah assured, and will be completed by the end of the year.

The Abonsie-Aseseso and Apirede-Trom roads are located in the Akwapim North District of the Eastern Region. They are engineered and in fair condition.
Hon. Daniel Botwe further enquired from the Deputy Minister, when the contractor working on the Awukugua Bypass in the Okere Constituency will move to site to continue work.
Again, Mr. Okley Quaye-Kumah responded saying; the Awukugua Bypass was awarded for bituminous surfacing in stages, the first of which includes works up to sub-base level only awarded in August, 2009.
He added that the contract commenced in September, 2009 and is expected to complete in August, 2010. The contractor, he hinted, moved out briefly but has since April this year re-mobilised to site and has constructed 20 culverts and 50m concrete u-drain which constitute about 33% of the work, currently in progress.
The Awukugua Bypass is also located in the Ekwapim North District of the Eastern Region, it is engineered and in good condition too.
Hon. Kwame Amporfo Twumasi, Member for Nkoranza South also took turn to find out from the Deputy Roads and Highways Minister when work will begin on the Akumsa Domase – Nkwabeng – Akuma – Abountem road after its suspension in 2009.
Hon. Nii Okley Quaye-Kumah answered that the road was programmed for upgrading to bituminous surface under the Ghana Road Fund in 2007, the contract of which commenced in February that year and should have been completed in May 2008 but was delayed and therefore terminated for non-performance.
At the time of termination, he added, only 29% of works was completed, the outstanding of which has been re-packaged for re-award in the 2011 fiscal year.

The 11.3km Akumsa Domase – Nkwabeng – Akuma - Abountem feeder road is located in the Nkoranza South District of the Brong Ahafo Region. It is engineered and in fair condition.
The MP for Nkwanta North, Hon. Kwaku Nayan, was the last Member to ask Mr. Okley Quaye-Kumah when the Sibi – Korne, Damanko – Ogyiri, Kpassah – Tinjase and Tinjase – Nabu feeder roads in the Nkoranza North Constituency will be constructed.
The Deputy Minister responded that the said roads were being rehabilitated and works is 90-95%, 30%, 26% or 55% completed, respectively.
Again, Nii Okley intimated that contractors on site have been asked to expedite works, while others have had their contracts terminated for non-performance and subsequent re-award but for Tinjase – Nabu feeder road contract which is receiving bids for maintenance, in the interim.
The 18.0km Sibi – Korne, 33.3km Damanko – Ogyiri, 27.0km Kpassah – Tinjase and 13.6km Tinjase – Nabu roads are all located in the Nkwanta North District of the Volta Region. They are either partially or fairly engineered; and in fair condition.