On Tuesday, January 2, 2024, work on the Accra-Tema Motorway expansion and reconstruction began.
Ten lanes will cross the 19.5 km project to connect the Tema and Tetteh Quarshie roundabouts.
A 10-lane, 19.5-kilometer motorway with four lanes of reinforced concrete and six lanes of urban highway is included in the project’s scope of work.
The project also entails building five new interchanges (Lashibi, Abattoir, Teshie Link, Fiesta Royale, and Neoplan junction), reconstructing the 5.7-kilometer Tetteh Quarshie to Apenkwa section, remodeling the Tetteh Quarshie, Apenkwa, and Achimota interchanges, and installing 14 pedestrian footbridges, toll plazas, and streetlights.
With high traffic growth and right-of-way encroachment, the Accra-Tema motorway has deteriorated and turned into a death trap.
Unless the government takes significant action to preserve this important national asset, commuter inconveniences and traffic build-up will soon surpass those experienced on other busy Accra streets.
Significant risks to productivity and national security are posed by the motorway’s irreversible destructive spiral, which is being pushed by poor land-use development, excessive axle loading, and poor maintenance procedures.
Ghana’s 19-kilometer motorway is the country’s oldest paved road.
Since it is made of concrete, it costs more to build than asphalt or other bituminous surface roads, but in the long run, it is more cost-effective to maintain. It requires less maintenance, is stronger, and lasts longer.
