When will the govt expand the Tema motorway? - Kojo asks

The road is currently in a deplorable state as it is covered with deep potholes and road markings have been wiped off by the thousands of vehicles that ply the roads every day.

The road generates huge funds from road toll tickets daily but has been left to deteriorate with major traffic on the highway from the Tema roundabout to the Tetteh Quarshie interchange.

The motorway has deteriorated and now a death trap with high traffic growth and encroachment and can be described as criminal negligence of the highest order on the part of those responsible for its maintenance.

It is estimated that there are over 20 unapproved routes as well as various intersections on the Accra-Tema Motorway.

Accra-Tema motorway ece-auto-gen

Ghanaians are concerned with the dangers such routes pose to drivers and pedestrians on the major highway.

A phenomenon that is fast gaining currency on the road is creating various illegal U-turns and diversions on the highway.

Another thing that has caught the eyes of Kojo is the number of slum settlements at different stages of development that have been identified along the Accra-Tema Motorway.

Unplanned areas, characterised by inferior living conditions such as limited access to infrastructure, limited plot accessibility, and rudimentary housing construction materials, pose a long-term risk to the quality of life for city residents and the presence of these settlements poses dangers to lives, both the residents and users of the motorway, especially the industrial and residential properties on both sides of the road.

The risks of fire damage and criminals using these settlements as hideouts to commit crimes on the motorway are possible.

The most devastating accident waiting to hit Accra-Tema motorway ece-auto-gen

Settlements along the half-stretch of the Tema motorway from Tetteh Quarshie to the Community 18 junction exit on the motorway is a situation that has been building up, pun intended, for several years.

Present and former governments have promised to expand and give a facelift to the 19-kilometre highway but their promises have turned into a 'national anthem'.

In 2012, under the government of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the former Minister for Roads and Highways, Joe Gidisu revealed that the Tema motorway will see massive expansion under the John Mahama administration to ease traffic.

He said: "There will be a three-lane carriageway from the Tema roundabout up to the Shai hills."

That promise by Joe Gidisu under the NDC government failed.

In 2015, the former Finance Minister, Seth Terkper also promised Ghanaians that plans are ongoing to construct roads from the Tema Port to the motorway.

But that promise of expanding the road by the NDC has not come to fruition since 2012.

Under the current government of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), appointees of the President seem to promise Ghanaians who ply the road of new hope.

Slum settlement along Accra-Tema motorway Pulse Ghana

The Ministry of Roads And Highways in 2017 vowed to evict squatters dotted along the Accra-Tema Motorway.

It is expected to complete the exercise before April 2018, to pave way for the expansion of the highway but squatters residing along the Motorway are still there.

This was an earlier indication given by the sector minister, Kwasi Amoako-Atta, that the move will ensure a quick expansion of the motorway.

The expansion of the motorway to six lanes is a 30-month-long project.

On Friday, January 25, 2019, the sector again gave an assurance that the four-lane Tema Motorway will be expanded.

He said the NPP government was committed to surmounting the obstacles of massive encroachment of the reserve zone to rebuilding the roads from the Tema Port to the Motorway.

Amoako Atta cautioned property development agencies and individuals to desist from building on and close to road reserve zones and stated that the government would deal ruthlessly with institutions and individuals who flout the law.

Unapproved routes on Accra-Tema motorway Pulse Ghana

He said: "This generation is scrambling for resources and using nature unsustainably as if there is no tomorrow. If Dr. Nkrumah and our forefathers behaved this way, we would have been left with nothing.

But not even a bulldozer has been taken to the motorway to start construction.

Out of the 14,000 persons who fall victim to road crashes in Ghana annually, 2000 of them lose their lives.

The deaths and injuries associated with road crashes were not an individual and family issue but a national tragedy that must be tackled collectively.

Some Ghanaians see the construction of a National Cathedral by the current government as a misplaced priority.

We have challenges facing the country and the construction of a Cathedral cannot be a priority among priorities.

Another clear case of waste and the non-transparent government is the Smarttys bus branding under the NDC which cost the country GH¢3.6 million for 116 Metro Mass Transit (MMT) which could be used to construct parts of the Motorway and one will count the revenues lost in the erstwhile administration.

The drone delivery services which received parliamentary approval are also seen as a misplaced priority by some Ghanaians because of the challenges confronting the health sector.

They could not understand why we have inadequate ambulances and yet we had parliament approving a needless deal.

Ghana also lacks access to adequate hospitals and yet we had parliament approving a drone deal in a rush instead of expanding our roads before we prioritise a drone.

Parliamentarians were slammed for rushing to approve the deal and failing to give the same prominence to the Right to Information Bill (RTI) after many years but found it necessary to rush the drone deal through.

Ghana Post GPS cash could be used to construct the motorway

After two years of the launch, how many Ghanaians have downloaded the App on their phones whilst the money could be channeled to expand the motorway.

In January 2021, Mota-Engil, the Portuguese contractor that has built up a large business in Africa, has this week signed a deal worth $570m to extend and improve Ghana's first-ever motorway but six months after the deal, construction has not commenced and work is expected to take place over a period of 48 months.

The cost of the motorway expansion is $570m.

I personally invite users of the motorway to join me in campaigning for the construction of the 19-kilometre highway or stop paying toll to the government and Kojo asks When will the govt expand Tema Motorway from four to six lanes?

Pulse Editor's Opinion is the opinion of an editor of Pulse. It does not represent the opinion of the organization Pulse.