Agbodza directs road agencies to fast-track design approvals to prevent project delays

Minister for Roads and Highways, Governs Kwame Agbodza, has directed consultants and road agencies to accelerate the review and approval of construction designs to prevent avoidable delays in the execution of road projects.

The Minister proposed that design review meetings be held in a single sitting, bringing contractors, consultants, and relevant road agencies together to examine proposed changes and resolve technical challenges immediately.

Speaking during an inspection of Phases One and Two of the Suame Interchange project on Tuesday, September 29, Mr Agbodza criticised the practice of contractors submitting designs and waiting days or weeks for feedback from consultants and government agencies.

He called for technical issues to be resolved promptly at project sites.

“We don’t have one week to solve this problem. So call them tomorrow, Thursday, or Friday. Do the design review at one meeting. Solve the problem on site,” he said.

Mr Agbodza further proposed establishing temporary facilities at project sites to facilitate immediate discussions among relevant stakeholders.

“In fact, you can just mount a tent here. Mount a tent on the side. Solve the problem on site,” he said.

He explained that conducting on-site design reviews would enable consultants and other stakeholders to better understand the actual conditions on the ground and ensure that proposed designs were practical and responsive to project requirements.