The Bolga-Bawku highway is expected to be partially opened to traffic from Thursday, September 17 after the Brazilian construction firm Queiroz Galvao said it is partially done with the reconstruction of the road.
The 116 kilometer Bolga–Bawku–Pulmakom was cut off, following the flooding and torrential rains in the area.
Work began on Tuesday, September 15 with the contractors clearing and filling the damaged portions of the road with boulders, which are rock fragments with size greater than 256 millimetres in diameter.
According to the Deputy Upper East Region Minister, Frank Fusaini Adongo, it is enough to give access to the stranded trucks from Thursday.
“I have come to see that contractors are working and putting some measures so that those plying the road can ply if possible Thursday morning because it is very pathetic how the articulated trucks that are on their international trips parked over there, passengers from the Bawku side and even the Zebilla–Bolgatanga side also gets stranded.
“This grader is leveling the surface and grading all pot holes hopefully by the close of the day we are hoping to get all articulators to Zebilla evacuated onto the other side of the road”.
The Upper East Region Director of Highways, Philip Sawai, says the ongoing work is a stop–gap measure.
“What we are doing is just to reinstate the cut-off portion to ensure that the numerous articulators that are parked over there can cross. To do that, we cannot put any materials than boulders because we want even if it rains again the water can flow in between the boulder whiles the lorries can move on top”.
He added: “So this is not a permanent solution. It is a temporary solution in response to the fact that we need to get the articulators to cross eventually a permanent solution will be found under this project where a bridge is to be constructed that will be capable enough of taking the huge volume of water”.
The stranded drivers who on Tuesday welcomed the government intervention want a permanent solution to the problem.
By Sheena Pankani|3news.com|Ghana