An “excellent day in Tema” as all roads lead to the Interchange

The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, commissioned phase one of the Tema Interchange Project at a brief ceremony on Friday 5 June.

The project comprises a two-tier intersection, a tunnel running from east to west, four kilometres of improved roads, four pedestrian bridges (one at each approach to the intersection) and several drainage structures. It was financed with a grant, secured from the Japanese government in March 2017, to the tune of ¥6 billion, or US$56 million.

Indeed, the grant aid for implementation of phase one of the project was negotiated and signed in March 2017, with construction commencing in February 2018 and work completed in June 2020.

Describing the commissioning of the project as “an excellent day in the life of Tema”, the President noted that for many years, residents living in and around the Tema Metropolis, and motorists, have had to endure the inconvenience of unbearable traffic and a poor road network when traversing the then rotary intersection.

Mind-forged infrastructure

President Akufo-Addo said the completion of the project is a welcome development, especially as the upsurge of vehicular traffic is putting great pressure on facilities in Ghana’s cities and especially on road infrastructure, sapping productivity. So is the rapidly increasing urban population.

“We made a pledge to the Ghanaian people to expand and improve the road network, while closing the missing links in the network. We had to make this pledge because we knew that the so-called ‘unprecedented infrastructure development’ of the Mahama administration was a fantasy, existing in the ‘Green Book’ and not on the ground,” he said.

The president continued, “We know that the provision of quality road infrastructure is an important tool for the socio-economic development of our country, and the government will ensure the even spread of such projects across the country.”

Phase two of the Tema Interchange is scheduled to commence in the last quarter of this year. President Akufo-Addo said it will bring about the transformation of the current two-tier into a three-tier interchange, and further hasten turnaround time at the intersection.

Other projects in the pipeline within the same enclave, which aim to ensure maximum efficiency in use of the interchange, include:

1. Construction of the 64.4-kilometre Ashaiman Roundabout to Akosombo Junction road (the N2) at a cost of €246 million from the KFW-IPEX Bank of Germany. The project will lead to expansion of the current single-carriageway of the Akosombo road into a multi-lane dual carriageway, service roads, and construction of interchanges at the Ashaiman Roundabout and Asutsuare Junction;
2. Dualisation of the 17-kilometre Tema to Aflao road. The project is expected to cost US$105 million, and will tie into the Trans-African Highway Project, which runs from Lagos to Abidjan. The current two-lane dual carriageway will be expanded into a three-lane carriageway in either direction; and
3. Expansion of the Accra-Tema Motorway into a three-lane dual carriageway with service roads under a public-private partnership arrangement. Evaluation has been completed and the government is awaiting approval from the public-private partnership approval committee of the Ministry of Finance to engage the contractor.

“The economic benefits of these and many other trunk roads being undertaken by the Ghana Highway Authority, the Department of Urban Roads and the Department of Feeder Roads will be immense,” President Akufo-Addo said. “Government is committed to the successful completion of all the projects, and I urge the Ministry of Roads and Highways to see to their expeditious completion.”

Kill your speed

The president cautioned motorists to be particularly careful and disciplined on the highways, and to resist the temptation of overspeeding. “Better roads should be a catalyst for national development, and not instruments of death and pain,” he warned.

He urged the agencies and departments of the Ministry of Roads and Highways, especially the Ghana Highway Authority, in collaboration with the National Road Safety Authority and the patrol unit of the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Police Service, to intensify their activities on education and sensitisation to do with speed control, axle load control and road preservation.

“I appeal to [metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies] to ensure that we do not have a proliferation of billboards, posters and other marketing ads in and around the vicinity of this project. Let us use this superior road network responsibly and productively,” President Akufo-Addo urged.

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