By Richard Boahen
The Sunyani-Techiman highway is among the routes I use quite often, especially since the early 90s. It was constructed during the latter part of the late President Jerry John Rawlings’ regime.
From the construction of this road until recently, it took approximately one hour for a commercial vehicle to travel from Sunyani to Techiman and vice versa. But today the story is so different as pot-holes, man-holes, and several unauthorized speed-rams have conspired to literally double the travel time on this all-important road.
Perhaps the most deadly and traumatic section of the Sunyani – Techiman road is the New Dormaa – Kotokrom – Yawhima stretch, which remains a major concern for many residents of Sunyani, the Bono regional capital.
Construction works on this relatively small road project, which started during Prof Atta-Mills’ time, are currently at a standstill, leaving commuters and residents of New Dormaa, Kotokrom, and Yawhima to their fate as they continue to endure the negative effects of the road’s current condition helplessly.
I have lost count of the number of lives lost on this particular stretch, mainly as a result of the sorry state of the road. As for the number of health issues people living along the road have contracted from inhaling dust over the years, the less said, the better.
It’s still not clear when construction work will resume, so those of us plying this route or living in the area will continue to experience prolonged travel times, inhaling dust, and, most unavoidably, joint pain.
For now, I “arrest” my case.
I call upon the responsible authorities and government agencies to urgently resume construction on the Sunyani-Techiman highway, especially the New Dormaa-Kotokrom-Yawhima section, to ensure the safety and well-being of all commuters and residents. In these challenging times, may we come together and remain hopeful that positive change will soon restore this vital road for everyone.
MAY GOD BE OUR HELPER.
