The Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, has called for a value for money audit of the soon to be completed Tamale interchange project by the government of Ghana. Mr. Iddrisu also said the execution and completion of the project has been unjustifiably delayed as stipulated in the contract agreement and announced by President Nana Akufo-Addo during the sod cutting ceremony in 2019.
On the back of this assertion, the Tamale South legislator wants the supervising consultant as well as the Ministry of Roads and Highways and the Department of Urban Roads to undertake a structural audit of the performance of the contractor in order to guaranteed value for money for the $46 million dollar project.
Structural defects
He said some of the structural works will defeat the essence for the construction of the first ever flyover in the northern part of the country, explaining that, “We are particularly concern about the concrete roundabout at the central mosque intersection which is so wide, there upon, narrowing the effective width of the intersection as you can see, just imagine how a heavy duty articulator truck or the long buses and STC would be able to make a turn here and so we are concern about it”.
The Minority leader emphasized the essence of this project was to reduce both pedestrian and vehicular traffic and to allow free flow of persons and goods and services in the third fastest growing city in Ghana.
“We’re afraid that if the project is not completed timely and structurally to the request of the engineers as approved by Parliament, we may suffer the same congestion and traffic to which this project was contemplated, so, what would be the purpose and use if we find congestion and traffic around this area after the project is completed and handed over” he queried.
Mr. Haruna Iddrisu made these remarks on Saturday (March 5, 2021) when he visited the project site with journalists in Tamale.
Economic impact
He added, “We are particularly concern about the slow pace of work, the quality of work, and the structural problems associated with the work vi-sa-vi the $46 million dollar which was approved for the project.”
In addition, the Tamale South Member of Parliament questioned reasons why some structures earmarked for demolition for the expansion of the inner city roads haven’t been done.
“Even more importantly, I just cannot understand why the houses here to the storey building could not be demolished for purpose of expanding the width of the road; I cannot accept it, structurally, whoever was responsible whether the department of urban roads or the Tamale metropolitan assembly – the people here were ready and they were told in advance that the road would affect positions of this area and you can see the sign post on. So adequate compensations should’ve been paid to them which is what an environmental impact assessment of any project must reveal – what is its social and economic impact on the citizens, that should’ve inform government the necessity of moving the people here and paying them adequate compensation for the road to be done and done well” he chastised.
In his view, Mr. Haruna Iddrisu indicated the project would not serve any usefully purpose and “we will just be celebrating the fact that it is the first interchange in Tamale, but yes, how much has it contributed to the reduction in congestion and traffic of motor, pedestrian, vehicular traffic, that is very important particularly within the central business district of Tamale.”
Meanwhile, residents of Tamale have also lamented bitterly about the drainage system constructed and some ancillary facilities of the project.
According to them, the gutters would not be capable of containing the volumes of running water from the neighboring communities within the central business area; therefore, predicting perennial floods in the metropolis.
The residents also believe the artistic design captured in the masterplan is not the same constructed and questioned why the Chiefs and people of the northern region have been shortchanged.
