By: Dennis Narterh Adzigodi.
People leaving in and around Kpone in the Tema Municipality have complained bitterly at the state of road networks leading to the Kpone Township. They lamented that this is affecting productivity and it’s making commuting between other cities like Tema and Ashaiman for their daily business activities very difficult for them. They pray that authorities and the contractor working on the road would make frantic efforts to speed up work on the project to ease their hustling. They revealed this in an exclusive interview with Wojaku Newspaper at Kpone when this reporter was there to ascertain the preparedness of the people of kpone towards this years annual Homowo Festival.
They said they have faced this problem for so long until the recent face-lift of the road to its current state but that work has since been at a snails pace. According to the residents along the road stretching from Kpone Barrier to Kpone Township Roundabout they faced the daily challenge of dust from this untarred roads flying all-over their house which is affecting their livelihood, health and giving them unrest. Others have also complained about the smell and smoke they inhale everyday from the Kpone refuse Dump site which served as dump site for Tema and Ashaiman and its surroundings and even some parts of Accra. Residents claim the rain waters have compounded the smell from the refuse dump site which they said is affecting their health.
Added to their woes is a road diversion through some parts of the residential areas leading to the Kpone Township which has put those roads into a very deplorable states and have called for speedy open up of the main road to ease the traffic congestion on those residential roads. Most residents have also complained about the size of the culvert and gutters along the roads that they are too small to contain rain and running waters during raining seasons.
The main bridge connecting the people of Kpone to the Rest of Tema and Ashaiman has also been a main source of worrying to the residents. Passengers have to alight and walk for several kilometers across the bridge to the Kpone Township and vice versa before boarding vehicles to Tema and Ashaiman because the only bridge leading to the town has been closed and is under construction.
Most drivers plying the Ashaiman – Kpone road have also poured out their frustration on the current state of the road network leading to the Kpone Township especially from Kpone Barrier. They complained of frequent breakdown of their vehicles and called on the authorities to speed up work on the Project especially now that the rains have subsided.
As at the time of our visit, work was still in progress on the bridge and workers were seen laying concrete and iron rods at the base of the bridge but work on the road is yet to start as culvert and gutters are being constructed along the road.
What the people of Kpone and its environs awaits is how long it will take to complete the bridge and the road that leads to the Kpone Township to ease their travelling problems and restore them back to their normal livelihood.