A Deputy Minister for Roads and Highways, Hon. Thomas Mbomba has assured the people of the Savannah Region that the Bole-Sawla Road that was cut off at Doli will be temporary opened to traffic by the weekend.
‘With what we have seen so far, we have confidence that by the close of the week we will open this road to traffic,” Hon Mbomba assured.
Hon. Mbomba further explained that the “depth level of the water and continuous rains” affected the start of the reconstruction.
“I want to assure the people of the Savannah Region that we are still committed to making sure that the road is reinstated. We are going to work both day and night to ensure that this is achieved.”
A heavy downpour, which lasted for about four hours last week Sunday, washed away a bridge at Doli in the Bole District in the Savannah Region, making the main road linking the Upper West Region to the south inaccessible.
The Deputy Minister, accompanied by the Savannah Regional Minister … led a team of Engineers from the Ministry of Roads and Highways and its agencies to assess progress of work to reinstate the road.
Briefing the Deputy Minister and his team, the Director of Bridges at the Ghana Highways Authority, Ing. Yakubu Koray said his team indicated that substantial works commenced on when they had a water of 2.5m when it became safe to work”. The high water level and the swiftness of the current did not allow to start work earlier.
He assured the Dep Minister and his team that the road will be temporarily opened to traffic within a week.
Background
The N12 which is also known as the Western Corridor has a total length of 802km. It starts from Elubo, in the Western Region where it forms a junction with the N1 highway, and passes through Goaso in the Ahafo Region where it links the R63 and enters Sunyani in the Bono Region, passing through Nkonsia (a junction to Techiman on N10) and enters Wenchi in the Bono East Region and then to Bamboi (boundary between Savannah and Bono East Regions). This road continues through Bole to Sawla where it links the N7 (Fufulso to Damongo to Sawla Road) then to Wa (the capital of Upper West Region) and passing through Lawra to Nandom and terminates at Hamile (boundary between Ghana and Burkina Faso) also in the Upper West Region.
In 1987, when the Bole – Sawla section (30km) was a gravel road, there was a wash-out at Dole, which necessitated the construction of a box culvert by Messrs PW Ghanem which was eventually washed away on Sunday, 17th September, 2023.
Later, between 2004 and 2006, the Bole – Sawla section (30km) was upgraded by Messrs PW Ghanem under a development programme fully funded by the Government of Ghana.
It serves as a vital transportation artery for the movement of goods, services and people. It facilitates trade, commerce, and the transportation of raw materials, agricultural products, and manufactured goods within Ghana and between Ghana and Burkina Faso.
