Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwasi Amoako-Attah has disclosed that the construction of the second phase of the New Tema Motorway Interchange will begin in the 4th quarter of this year.
The Honorable Minister mentioned that the construction which took 28 months to complete with an amount of US$ 55.6 million went through three phases of which the first stage is completed.
However, he added that, the contract signing for the second phase will commence within the next two weeks which will include street lightning.
According to him, “the project when completed would improve the capacity of the Tema interchange” and will ensure “uninterrupted traffic flow” to facilitate trade within the country and in the West African Sub-region.
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Kwasi Amoako-Attah said this when he took his turn at the commissioning of the New Tema Motorway on Friday, June 5, 2020.
Commissioning the first phase of the project, President Akufo-Addo said his government is committed to completing all road projects including the construction of Ashaiman roundabout to Akosombo which will cost an amount of 256 million Euros.
While calling for discipline on the country’s roads by motorists, the president said he was optimistic that the development of Ghana’s roads would be a catalyst for national development which is a key to economic growth
Background
In 2013, the Government of Ghana under the John Dramani Mahama administration requested a grant from the Government of Japan to implement the project (The Tema Motorway Interchange).
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) then selected and dispatched a survey team which was headed by Mr. Ryohei Watanabe of CTI Engineering International Co., LTD. from March 2015 to March 2017.
The initial survey and detailed designs were undertaken between March 2015 and December 2016 and the final report submitted to the Ministry of Roads and Highways for review and approval. This was also noted in the 2016 Budget Statement and Economic Policy of Ghana.
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“Accra-Tema Motorway: Discussions on the project design concept and the draft agreement are on-going with the project proponents. The detailed feasibility studies and designs will commence in 2016,” a part of the 2016 budget statement states.
Although then president John Dramani Mahama had mentioned in his 2016 State of the Nation address that “preparatory works for the redevelopment of the Accra-Tema motorway into a six-lane road with four interchanges at Adjei Kojo, Abattoir, Teshie Link, and Tema Roundabout will commence soon,” the project did not start until February 2018.
In 2017, the Government of Ghana under President Akufo Addo signed grant agreements with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to provide aid of up to a total of 6,459 million yen for two programmes in Ghana of which the Tema Motorway roundabout was included. The two specific projects were:
Source: Margaret Agana/ATLFMNEWS
