You are not likely to travel on any road in Ghana, especially Accra which is the capital city, without encountering a pothole. The worst of it all are the potholes on the Tema Motorway.
Our founder and first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah bequeathed to this country so many things; one of such monument is the Tema Motorway which was built with the future in mind.
Unfortunately, as it is with everything on earth, the motorway is deteriorating at a fast rate with the passage of time and nobody seems to care.
The road over the years has served its purpose and continue to do so, by not only being the most durable, safe and flagship road we have in this country, but has also been a source of revenue for the State, through the tolls collected every day.
The focus of this editorial is not on the Tema Motorway but the general sight of pot holes on our roads. The mention of Tema Motorway is just to emphasize the point we are trying to make.
It is disheartening driving or travelling on our roads which are replete with this menace which is responsible not only for accidents but cause damage to the vehicles, increasing cost of maintenance. What surprises us here at The Herald is that roads which are supposed to be under construction and portions completed, surprisingly spot potholes on them.
The roads that are built these days do not stand the test of time, as they start deteriorating soon after they are handed over to the government. It baffles many as to which criteria or consideration that goes into the inspection process to ensure that the terms are met, regarding quality and durability, before the roads are finally handed over to government.
A rumour which still remains a rumour among the general populace is that authorities demand five per cent before awarding any contract, so it stands to reason that the roads would not be built well.
We need to, as a country, start thinking about the future in whatever we do. As with everything that we buy that comes with warranty, the contractors must also give us warranty such that if the road goes bad or develop potholes they could come and repair it, before they turn into manholes endangering the lives of innocent citizens.
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