President Akufo-Addo has taken a swipe at the erstwhile Mahama administration saying its claim of massive infrastructure development while in office was merely a fantasy.
According to him, the so-called massive projects existed in NDC’s Green Book.
“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 know that the so-called unprecedented infrastructure development of the Mahama administration was fantasy; existing in the Green Book and not on the ground,” the President said while commissioning the newly constructed Tema Motorway Interchange Friday.
Project Overview
The Tema Motorway Roundabout was a 5-leg roundabout where traffic from Accra and Tema Pot, Akosombo, Aflao and Tema Community 9 converge, causing heavy traffic congestion during the rush hours. The congestion at the roundabout became an impediment to smooth and sate movement of people and goods which adversely affected productivity and economic activities, especially in the environs of the Industrial City of Tema. The increase in the volume of cargo at the port after the completion of the expansion works also contributed to the significant increase of truck trafic at the roundabout.
In compliance with the National Transport Policy of expanding and upgrading the international corridors to achieve integrated, efficient, and sustainable transport system and help achieve the objective of the transport hub of the West African sub region, the Government of Ghana (GOG) in 2013 made a request to the Government of Japan (GOJ) for a Grant Aid Assistance to implement “The Preparatory Survey for the Project for the Improvement of the Tema Motorway Roundabout”.
In March 2017, the Exchange of notes/ Grant agreement for the survey and design under the Project name “The Project for Improvement of Ghanaian International Corridors (Grade Separation of Tema Intersection in Tema) was signed.
It is expected that the opening of the roads to motorists will greatly improve the capacity of the Tema intersection as well as enhance safety and efficiency of the transport and freight. It will also provide uninterrupted traffic flow to facilitate trade and transit in the West African Sub-Region, contribute to the economic development of Tema and its environs, and minimize the negative effect on the environment from vehicle emissions.
Project Cost and Executing Companies
Messrs CTI Engineering International Co. Ltd was the supervising Consultant with the works executed by Messrs Shimizu-Dai Nippon JV. The project duration was 28 calendar months, that is, from 7th February 2018 to 6th June 2020. The project cost was about 57 million United States dollars.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM