Some drivers plying the Tema Motorway have expressed appreciation to the government and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for the construction and completion of the Tema Motorway Interchange project.
According to them, after the completion of the project, there was less traffic congestion at the intersection making it easy for them to move and get to their destinations faster.
This came to light when a delegation from the Agency visited the site on Friday as part of its three-day press tour to assess the project after the Phase ll was commissioned in December last year.
Mr Kaderi Bayirisi, a truck driver, speaking with The Ghanaian Times noted that, before the construction of the interchange, drivers used to spend hours in traffic congestion trying to cross the intersection to their various routes.
He said the delay in traffic was causing drivers to lose more money, as they could not make more rounds and being stuck in traffic also wasted a lot of fuel, putting them in financial constraints.
However, Mr Bayirisi said after the construction of the interchange, traffic flow was easy now, adding that, unlike before the construction that drivers spend almost two hours in traffic at the intersection, now within a minute or two and they cross it.
“We want to thank JICA and Japan government for funding this project throughout, this has made it easier for us to cross the intersection to our various destinations and it has made our work easy for us,” he noted.
The “Project for the Improvement of the Tema Motorway Roundabout is a $91 million project funded by Japan government through JICA to rehabilitate and expand the 19.5-kilometre stretch encompassing the transformation of the motorway into a modern 10-lane divided highway.
The phase I dubbed “Project for Improvement of International Corridors in the Republic of Ghana (Project for Grade Separation of Tema Intersection in Tema)” started in February 2018 with a grant of $57 million, constructed a total of four kilometres and five service roads for right turning traffic and was commissioned in June 2020.
The phase I project constructed the first and longest underground tunnel in the country and mid-level interchange with ancillary facilities such as pedestrian bridges.
The Phase II, funded by a Japanese grant of $27 million, was initiated to address traffic congestion at the five-legged Tema intersection where traffic from Accra and Tema Port converges during peak hours.
Commenced in July 2022 and completed in 2024, the Phase II of the project, involves constructing a third-tier flyover and features a 142-metre continuous composite steel bridge, a 2,820 square metre steel-concrete composite slab, and two steel box section frame piers.
The Assistant Resident Supervisor of the project, Mr Yaw Tenkorang Osei, noted that the flyover included a deep foundation with a 5-metre diametre for the main structure and a 2.5-metre diametre for the supports.
He said 142-metre flyover was built with steel and features a painting system designed to last over 70 years.
Cumulatively, over 200,000 staff and workers were employed whilst over 500,000 residences and 90 million road users will benefit directly
FROM CECILIA YADA LAGBA, TEMA
