A/R: Angry residents block road in protest.

Angry residents and road users on the Atwima Tekyiman-Denkyemouso stretch of the Ashanti Region have blocked the road to traffic to demonstrate and drum home their grievances.

The enraged residents including drivers and commuters say they cannot sit unconcerned while dusty roads riddled with deep gullies, potholes and erosion take a toll on their health.

The said the road, a 13.5-kilometer stretch awarded to Asabea Construction Limited in 2019, was part of the projects captured among the Year of Roads package, but has been abandoned for almost a year for strange reasons.

Speaking on Akoma FM‘s current affairs and political show GhanAkoma, the angry residents, who defied Covid-19 protocols and took to the streets with red arm and head bands, lamented that “the contractor ‘Asabea Construction Limited’ decommissioned his trucks, and other installations from site some few weeks to the 2020 election and is yet to return to site”.

“We are sick and tired of the contractor’s lackadaisical attitude. We want the road to be rewarded to a serious contractor so we residents can have our peace of mind.”

Another driver, who happened to be heavily affected by the poor state of the road, said that “at least every week, I visit the workshop once, sometimes twice because of the undulating nature of the road. Our springs and fender break and even sometimes during heavy downpour, you will unknowingly hit a pothole then you will notice you have burst a tire. These and many more ordeals are what we the drivers have been facing”.

Meanwhile, Ashanti Region Director for Highway Edmund Obeng in response to the residents’ lamentations assured of immediate solutions to address their concerns.

He explained that “the last time I spoke with the contractor, he told me he has faced some financial challenges which he assured would be sorted out in no time and will resume works on the stretch soon”.

Mr Obeng appealed to the residents to exercise restraint as highway authorities assiduously work behind closed doors to find lasting solutions to ensure the abandoned road is given life.