The ambitious Accra-Kumasi Expressway project found expression in tangible terms yesterday as the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) handed over the 175.6-kilometre cleared right-of-way to the Ministry of Roads and Highways for the start of actualconstruction.
The major road infrastructure project will serve as Ghana's first six-lane, access-controlled tolled expressway.
The first in the country and designed for speeds up to 120km/h, the highway is intended to cut travel time by 50 per cent by bypassing the severe gridlock on the current route between Ghana's two major economic hubs.
On completion, it will be managed by Accra-Kumasi Expressway Limited, a special purpose vehicle set up by the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF).
The road will pass through towns such as Adeiso, Asamankaese, Akim Oda, Ofoase and Kwaso.
Additionally, it will have three major bridges spanning the Birim and Pra rivers, with eight interchanges along the route.
The GAF executed a total of 183.6km, exceeding the original 175.6-km contract within 19 weeks, marking a major move towards the actual construction of the road, earning itself plaudits and credit for a technical work that prompted President John Dramani Mahama to declare that the 48 Engineer Regiment of the Armed Forces would be the major sub-contractor on the Accra-Kumasi Expressway.
“I have asked the Minister of Roads and Highways to incorporate the Engineer Regiment of the Ghana Armed Forces as the major sub-contractor to the main contractor on this Accra-Kumasi Expressway,” the President said.
“I have also asked the Minister of Roads and Highways to deploy you on the Greater Accra orbital to establish the right-of-way and begin to clear the right-of-way for the Greater Accra Ring Road,” the President added.
"The Ghana Armed Forces are capable, and I have absolute trust in their ability to help this country in its infrastructural development.
"Going forward, we are going to involve you more in civilian activities, especially in road and building construction, as well as in agriculture.
I know you will execute those tasks efficiently and on time," the President said.
He said the nation would honour the military at the 70th anniversary national awards day “for your hard work”.
President Mahama said there was currently $2 billion in a special account for the commencement of the project, and by the close of the year, there would be $4 billion in the account to fully finance the project.
“When the project starts, money is not going to be a challenge.
All certificates presented by the contractor will be paid instantly,” he said.
Bigger vision
President Mahama said his vision was to construct an expressway connecting Aflao in the Volta Region and Elubu in the Western Region, adding that the intention was to continue the Accra-Kumasi Expressway to the north.
He mentioned that roads and transport routes opened up countries, and played a significant role in stimulating economic development, emphasising further that “that was the vision when Dr Kwame Nkrumah first built the first motorway linking Accra, the capital city, and Tema, the industrial city”.
“For all countries that have grown great, they achieved such a feet because they opened the transportation corridor for passengers and goods to move freely across their countries,” the President stated.
For now, he said, ongoing work on the eastern corridor road project was expected to be completed next year, before turning attention to the western corridor to make it easy to transport goods and passengers all over the country with ease.
The Minister of Roads and Highways, Kwame Governs Agbodza, said for decades, the Accra-Kumasi corridor carried a disproportionate share of the national traffic.
He said growth in population, freight and commercial activities increased pressure on the existing N6 road, and that the answer could not be endless patching and incremental widening of the road.
Mr Agbodza said the country needed a long-term road network strategy, and that the expressway way was part of that strategy.
He added that the expressway project was designed for controlled traffic and high-speed movement on the corridor.
Reduced travel time
The Minister of Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, said the handover had cleared the way for work to commence on the project intended to improve road safety and cut transport time and cost at the same time.
He assured the nation that the entire amount needed for the project would be ready by the end of the year, saying “this expressway will be the first task of the Value for Money Office”.
“We will ensure that cost is justified and every cedi delivers value.
This expressway will serve generations yet unborn,” Dr Forson said.
Task
The Director of Engineering Services of the GAF, Brigadier-General Jonas Wiafe, said their task was to clear 176.5km within the stipulated period, but they had been able to clear 183.6km.
He said the first tranche of compensation payment had been released to 469 farmers, and added that the process was still ongoing, and that “an amount of GH¢350,000 to as little as GH¢1,500 has been paid based upon the valuation data provided by the Ministry of Roads and Highways”.
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