Motorway Reconstruction Starts Soon

Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwasi Amoako-Atta, has hinted of plans by the government to soon rebuild the 19.5km motorway linking the harbour city of Tema to Accra, after going beyond its useful life. The multipurpose highway, which was designed to last for 50 years, was opened to traffic in November 1965 under the administration of former President Kwame Nkrumah.

It is a vital link within the seaside city, and without it the activity of the busy port of Tema will virtually be put at risk. The minister told members of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament Thursday that the motorway reconstruction project would have 10 lanes and four interchanges to help cut traffic jams and the cost of doing business.

“The motorway has to be worked on. It has gone beyond its design life. We all know that the motorway was constructed in the mid-60s, and it was supposed to have a design life of 50 years,” he intimated. He indicated, however, that as much as the government wants to reconstruct the highway road, there are few challenges that need to be overcome, adding, “I believe very soon we shall go over those challenges and start work.

I won’t put any specific date on it, but we have gone very, very far. It may not be long at all from now that work on the motorway will start. It comes under the project name of ‘Reconstruction of the Motorway’, but let me use this opportunity to say that the project is not limited to the Accra-Tema stretch of the motorway. It is just a project name,” Mr. Amoako-Atta explained.

He continued, “It goes up to Tetteh Quarshie (roundabout) through to Apenkwa bridge and ends at Neoplan traffic light. It is a major work because the motorway itself (Accra-Tema) is going to have as many as four interchanges at various sections and some of the lanes will go up to 10 (i.e. five in each side).

According to him, the same project will lead to the remodeling of the Tetteh Quarshie Interchange to deal with the current traffic situation being experienced at the Accra Mall area. There will be another interchange at the Fiesta Royale Hotel area to deal with the traffic situation there, the minister said and added, And the Apenkwa bridge is also going to be remodeled under the same programme.