IN the road highway parlance, the Eastern corridor is defined as the road network originating from Tema through Kpong to Atimpoku, Asikuma, Peki, Kpeve, Have, Fume, Logba, Ve-Golokwati, Hohoe, Jasikan, Kadjebi, Brewaniase, Nkwanta, Oti-Damanko up to Yendi in the Northern Region and beyond to the Upper East Region.
When this road is fully developed, it will shorten the distance between northern and southern Ghana through Kumasi by 70 kilometres. It will also serve as an alternative route for the socio-economic development of the communities in the Volta, Northern and Upper regions.
More than 20 years ago, that road had been used by politicians to canvas for votes and make promises to develop it but have failed to deliver on their promises. Signboards were mounted by the government of the day at vantage points demonstrating to the people that the project was to start immediately which never happened.
It is a real drudgery to travel on that road because vehicles that travelled on that route were usually trapped in the mud at various points which delayed the carting of foodstuffs, livestock and grains to the marketing centres because they were stranded on the route for days due to the problem of a muddy road.
Communities in the northern sector were marginalised by government officials and politicians during the peak of the rainy season when the road was impassable but managed to visit the people during the yam season apparently to collect gifts of yams, cattle and other food items.
On the other hand, yams and other perishable commodities were left to rot on farms because they could not be conveyed to the marketing centres in the south.
It is really a terrible experience to travel to the northern sector on the eastern corridor because if it is not a dusty road during the dry season, then it is a muddy road during the rainy season and in fact, that attested to the fact that ruling presidents and their entourages preferred to reach the north in aircraft instead of travelling by road and share the pains of the people.
Many children in the north who never had the opportunity to travel down south, have not seen bitumen coated or tarred road before, because it is a deprivation.
Under the road component of the Volta Regional Agricultural Development Project (VORADEP) between 1980 and 1988, there was an attempt to construct the road but specifications described the road as farm access roads and substandard works were delivered.
In 1992, Kassardjan Construction Company, a renowned road construction firm made a breakthrough by beginning a road project from Jasikan to Kadjebi towards the north. The coating of the road was of a more durable material as compared to the past, which brought a sigh of relief to the people.
The project progressed over the years and the second phase undertaken by a Chinese company has reached Dodo-Pepesu in the Kadjebi District.
For now, there is no construction work going on and the drudgery to the north still exists. As the rainy season approaches, many distress calls will soon come from the north, especially between Nkwanta, Kpassa and Damanko to save them from the negative effects of muddy roads.
It is for this reason that the incorporation of the eastern corridor in the 2009 budget cannot pass without comment because in deed, the road is an international highway that will also serve the land-locked nations of the Sahel regions, which clear their imported goods from the Tema port because it is a relatively shorter route to their countries.There is, therefore, the need to develop a road structure that will endure axle load and to fit the type of soil found in the tropical rain forest in order to guide in the selection of the correct materials for surface coating to ensure a durable road.
Over the years, the road was tarred with mere bitumen and within a short time potholes developed to render it impassable.
Currently, except the portion of the road from Tema to Atimpoku, the rest of the road between Atimpoku through Juapong to Asikuma and Kpeve, Hohoe to Jasikan has been coated with inferior materials likely to deteriorate early.
What is, therefore, expected is that, that portion of the road must be re-designed and re-engineered to meet international standards to serve as a true eastern corridor. Moreso, future designs and contracts must specify for asphalt coating surface.
Now that oil has been discovered in the country, planning and development of roads must cease to be mediocre because the residual bitumen that will be produced from the fractional distillation of crude oil would be abundant in the country to facilitate the construction of good roads without any bottlenecks.
In fact, it is time the eastern corridor is accorded the same rating like the Trans-West African highway from Aflao to Elubo and the Accra-Kumasi highway if the nation is desirous of fighting poverty and promoting trade and tourism.
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