Vice Chancellor of the Pentecost University, Prof. Kwabena Agyapong-Kodua, has challenged government to ensure effective maintenance of roads that are constructed in the country.

Addressing an engagement with government agencies and ministries convened under the auspices of Anyaa-Sowutuom MP, Prof. Agyapong-Kodua noted that, several completed road projects across the country are ruined in a short period due to the absence of a deliberate road maintenance culture.

"Until maintenance is automated, it will become difficult to achieve this. During tendering and evaluation processes, our focus should be on the lifecycle cost of the project which will include the maintenance. This is how contractors can be subjected to ensure lifelong sustainability," he said.

He revealed that the literature on the sustainability of road infrastructure points to a direct relationship between road maintenance and the longevity of roads.

Prof. Agyapong-Kodua, himself an engineer, believes ‘aspects of road design sustainability also need to be highlighted’

He added, "We [at Pentecost University] can analyze and develop new materials and fabrication techniques which can last longer and be cheaper to maintain. We are into thinking about building roads with concrete roads which research shows holds more advantage over asphalt ones."

While he admitted the need for government to prioritize the construction of roads in hard-to-reach areas to allow for easier movement in those areas, he believes government must institute a stringent maintenance plan to ensure that the roads are kept in good shape.

For him, there’ll be no need to construct roads if there is no intention to maintain them.

‘There will be no value in starting a project if it is not our intention to maintain it. We should measure and select projects by their lifecycle cost’, he stressed.

The Pentecost University is situated within the Anyaa-Sowutuom Constituency, with all connecting roads leading to the university campus in a non-motorable state.

Prof. Agyapong-Kodua charged government to rope in the academic community in its quest to solve road engineering problems.

He stressed that researchers in the various universities have useful knowledge to share in the area of road utility and sustainability studies.