Tema Motorway roundabout project completed

The rehabilitated Tema Motorway roundabout project was last Tuesday officially handed over to the government.

The GH¢30 million project involved the rehabilitation of a stretch into a dual carriage way with four slipways.

There is also an additional third lane, thus, widening the roundabout while the entrance and exit from Akosombo end has been enhanced with the widening of the single to a double lane in each direction.

The project was funded by Meridian Port Services (MPS) as part of the company’s corporate social responsibility.

Impression

The Minister of Roads, Mr Kwesi Amoako-Attah, was impressed by the manner the project was undertaken and delivered in a timely manner.

Describing the MPS’s intervention as a significant achievement, the minister said the ministry would adopt similar timelines in the execution of projects.

He observed that until the MPS intervention, commuters faced difficulties travelling through that section of the road to places such as the NI Highway, Tema, Ashaiman, Prampram and beyond.

Mr Amoako-Attah said such challenges also impeded free flow of cargo movement from the Tema Port to neighbouring countries such as Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali.

According to the minister, the goal of the ministry was to provide a multi-level grade separated interchange at the Tema end of the motorway to ensure free flow of traffic to and from the five approaches converging at the roundabout.

“This phase of the project which is being financed by the Japanese government through a grant will come on stream latest by the first quarter of 2018,” he said. 

Main motorway

 Mr Amoako-Attah said tender processes were underway to award contract for the expansion of the main Accra-Tema Motorway.

He indicated that, while funding for the expansion of the motorway into a six-lane road was still a challenge, the ministry was determined to push through the processes for the rehabilitation work to take off. 

“We have done a lot of costing, but yet to put the tender document together for publication to know exactly how much to spend on the entire scope of the project,” the minister added.

The motorway in its present form has become a death-trap following the development of deep potholes, leaving some sections of the 18-kilometre express road in a state of disrepair.

Similarly, the absence of street lights has made driving on the stretch at night an arduous task.

MPS

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MPS, Mr Mohamed Samara, expressed delight at the quality of work done, which he said would ensure motorists and commuters enjoyed a stress-free experience at the roundabout and its ancillary lanes.

“This is the sole aim for which we committed ourselves to delivering this unprecedented project. This is a fulfilling moment for us as a company,” he said.

Mr Samara also announced the intention of MPS to construct an eight lane express road from Tema Community Three to link the motorway to facilitate the transport of haulage to and from the port.

“We have already submitted our proposal for the expansion of the motorway to the Ministry of Roads and Highways for consideration and we hope to be able to mobilise funds to commence the project when approval is granted,” he stated.

Improved business

The Director General of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), Mr Paul Asare Ansah, said the facility would provide a respite to the transporters and the transhipment of cargo from the Tema Port to the hinterlands.

He said the present expansion of the port from its current capacity of about one million twenty-footer container equivalent unit (TEUs) to 3.5 million TEUs, required a wider road network and intermodal connectivity.

The Tema Mantse, Nii Adjei Krakue II, commended the Roads Ministry, MPS and its partners for successfully executing the project and called for similar projects to be extended to the inner city.