Drivers plying Fijai Efia Nkwanta hospital protest against delayed project


Taxi drivers plying the Fijai-Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital road in the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis of the Western Region this morning embarked on a sitdown strike in protest against the abandoned reconstruction road project.

The Fijai-Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital road is of strategic importance to the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis. 

Besides being a ceremonial road, it is the main link to the regional hospital and the regional head quarters of the Ghana National Fire Service. 

It also served as the make shift parking bay for hualage trucks. 

The less than four kilometre road deteriorated to the extent that, it was hardly motorable. 

It was against this background that, the Urban Roads Department awarded the contract for the reconstruction of the road in 2016 to Asabea Engineering Limited for a dual carriage double sealing bitumenous surface. 

Work began in earnest to the relief of commuters and residents. 

However, the contractor abandoned the project after completing earth works left site because the haulage trucks impeded his work. 

This resulted in blames and counter blames amongst the contractor, department of urban roads and the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly. 

It was to impress on the city authorities to do something about the abandoned road that, taxi drivers plying the road refused to work and also tried to compel private vehicles not to lift stranded commuters. 

This left numerous people mostly students of the Fijia Senior High school, Health workers and officials of the Ghana National Fire Service stranded for hours. 

Some of them although affected said they supported the move by the drivers.  

The Chief Executive of the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly, Anthony K.K Sam noted that plans are far advanced towards moving all the haulage trucks to a new sit.

He said already most trucks now operate from there and appealed to the contractors to move back to site to complete the work.

Meanwhile, Head of the Haulage Drivers Union, Mr Albert Decker has appealed to the taxi drivers to exercise restraint as their members have started moving to the new haulage truck terminal.


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