If you are a regular user of the Sekondi Road, there’s likelihood you know the R.S. Blay Link – a road in the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis that leads to New Site, the community that houses the Takoradi Technical University.
Just as you make your turn onto the road, you are greeted rudely by two potholes, the first one – deep enough to swallow one-third of your tyre. I assure you, you will not miss them; they will not fail to give you an ‘akwaaba’, because it is an indication of what is to come – buckle up, there are 21 more potholes ahead of you.
There are points on the road where you will need to weave and swerve with dexterity, or risk veering off to your left onto the kerb and onto oncoming traffic, or off to your right and into a gutter. I shudder at the thought of the ugliness that might occur, with all the pedestrians who walk by the sides of the road, especially, the unaccompanied school children.
According to Mr. Oppong, a resident of New Site and a regular user of the R.S. Blay Link, the culture of waiting till things deteriorate before actions are taken to get them addressed is a major problem in the country.
He noted that, at the New Site Round About for instance, there was a pipe leakage which after it was repaired by the Ghana Water Company Limited, was left uncovered and has in turn developed into a potential death trap for both motorists and pedestrians.
Mr. Oppong explained that, in an attempt to maneuver and dodge that particular spot at the New Site Round About, drivers completely leave their lanes. He said, it is bound to be the scene of a horrible accident if work is not done promptly on the road. In his own words, “we are waiting for something bad to happen before we work on the road.”
We cannot wait till something bad happens; if we do, we fail as broadcasters, as it is amongst our duties to alert relevant authorities of such dangers. As broadcasters, we are in a way, the voice of the people, and, the eyes and ears of the authorities, hence, the reason Beach 105.5 FM got in touch with the Department of Urban Roads here in Takoradi to inquire about the state of the road and also make known to them what we heard and saw.
In his response to the deteriorating state of the R.S. Blay Link, Maintenance Engineer for the Western Region, Eng. John Owusu Duah, revealed that, there is a distribution pipe underneath the road that runs for about a kilometer.
He explained that, this distribution pipe that connects to the service pipes which supplies water to houses, is indeed what causes the leakages which in turn, cause the potholes on the road.
According to Eng. John Owusu Duah, because it was a maintenance work that was carried out, and not a new construction, the Department of Urban Roads could not accommodate the cost for relocating the pipes like the Ghana Water Company Limited proposed in a letter written to them. He added that, it was the prerogative of the Ghana Water Company Limited to relocate the pipes.
Eng. Owusu Duah further stated that, “even if the potholes are patched, the pipes will eventually develop leakages, and the potholes emerge again.”
Getting jobs done and done right is certainly a culture we need to imbibe as Ghanaians.
“If this is what we will be spending tax payers’ monies on, it is better we leave the roads untarred and use the monies for more productive ventures,” Mr. Oppong said with displeasure, as he pointed to the appalling state of the R.S. Blay Link.
He does have a valid point, because after the defect liability period expires, and the potholes reoccur, it will be you and I who will bear the cost of maintaining the road.
Can we do things right? Most definitely! Will we do things right, though? That’s food for thought…
By: Godwin Kpade/beachfmonline.com/Ghana
Photo Credit: Francis Hema
