Kwasi Amoako-Attah, Minister of Roads and Highways, has hinted at the government’s intention to turn all abandoned tollbooths into proper washrooms for motorists.
His remarks follow the National Road Safety Authority‘s request that the sector Ministry remove the non-functioning booths in order to avoid accidents.
However, given that tollbooths are located in the center of the road, it is unclear how the government plans to do this.
Mr. Amoako-Attah told the Road Contractors Association’s leadership on Monday, February 7, 2022, “we want to refurbish all Tollbooth structures to provide proper and decent washrooms for use by motorists to avoid situations where motorists stop to ease themselves indiscriminately.”
As a result, he asked road contractors to support the implementation of the Electronic Transaction Levy (E-Levy), which would also be utilized to settle monies owed to them.
“When the E-levy is implemented, the road sector will get its fair share. All contractors owed by the government will be paid. A number of deplorable roads will be fixed when the E-Levy is introduced because all contractors we owe will be paid. You are going to benefit directly from its implementation. No serious government will joke with its contractors.”
Cessation of collection of tolls
The Ministry of Roads and Highways has decided that toll collection on all public roads and bridges throughout the nation cease on Thursday, November 18, 2021.
The instruction came after the Finance Ministry announced the elimination of tolls on all public roadways.
Toll revenues are deposited into Road Funds and are intended to be utilized to maintain public roads.
However, the government said that the tollbooths had become a nuisance and had to be removed.
Meanwhile, it was subsequently revealed that the government expects the planned Electronic Transaction Levy to cover the funds lost due to road toll collecting.
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SOURCE: CITINEWS
