Projections according to the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers Ghana (COPEC)are that, prices of petroleum products are expected to go up by about 11 and 12 percent today Friday, June 17, in the next pricing window.
This would mean that the average price of fuel is likely to increase by about GH¢1.33 per litre.
While petrol prices are projected to go up by GH¢1.24/litre, which is an 11.41percent increase, the price of diesel may increase by GH¢1.43/litre depicting a 12.93percent increase.
This means further hardship on Ghanaians, who are already burdened with persistent increases in the prices of goods and services.
It is, therefore, unconscionable for anyone, to attempt to repair a bridge along the Tema motorway on a weekday and during the day, bearing in mind the number of vehicles, which ply that road on a daily basis.
Roads and Highways Ministry says it is undertaking emergency repair works on the Lakplakpa river bridge on the Accra bound section of the Accra-Tema Motorway.
In 2014, one span of the 2-span bridge was replaced with a steel deck.
Via a June 14 statement, the Ministry indicated that the steel deck has failed and defects have occurred in the remaining reinforced concrete slab.
“The defects on the steel deck have affected the steel beams and welds,” read the press release signed by the Ministry’s Head of Public Relations Unit, Nasir Ahmad Yartey.
Authorities, however, indicated that the construction will take about ten days to be completed, that is ten days of stress; emotionally, physically and financially.
The Ministry for Roads and Highways signed a Commercial Contract with Mota-Engil in December 2020 for the expansion of the road into a 12 – lane (six-in, six-out) 19.5km motorway.
The expansion work is yet to begin, but the government has been spending unavailable resources to patch the road, with bitumen, which keeps going bad.
Since the repair works started, commuters had to spend about seven hours to cross the motorway, which should under normal times take not more than 30 minutes.
As a newspaper, we are of the considered opinion that, times are when road construction happened during the day, these days the same can be done in the night or during weekends.
We should not be seen to be solving one problem by creating another. Fuel at the various pumps keep going up, so keeping a vehicle on one road for seven hours, is certainly a drain on the driver.
