The Ghana Highways Authority has warned drivers using the Tema Motorway to be cautious due to concerns about its structural integrity.
According to the Public Relations Officer of the authority, Cecil Nii Obodai Wentum, until sufficient funds are secured for a complete reconstruction of the motorway, all users must exercise prudence while driving on the stretch.
“It has lost its structural integrity, but it has not lost its functional integrity. I will say that any time I use the motorway, I use my conscience.
“Why would I do 120 on the motorway? No. So what it means is that until the motorway is fixed, until we come to a national consensus and decide or we agree that we must fix the motorway, anybody who uses the motorway must be cautious, especially on the Accra-bound section of the motorway,” he said.
Mr Wentum further explained that, frequent maintenance teams are visible on the motorway, implementing temporary solutions to uphold its usability.
In response to these concerns, the Ghana Highways Authority initiated an operation to remove damaged toll booths on the Accra-Tema Motorway, aiming to facilitate smooth traffic flow.
However, a recent incident sent shockwaves through the country when a truck rammed the Accra tollbooth, just days after the removal operation commenced.
The truck driver attributed the accident to warning signs placed dangerously close to the construction site, advocating for a safer placement.
Meanwhile, the Director of Road Safety and Environment at the Ghana Highway Authority, Joseph Atsu Amedzake has provided a breakdown of the GHȼ1 million budget allocated for the two-week demolition works.
He explained that the budget encompasses demolition expenses, streetlight installation, safety barrier implementation, and signages.
The total cost includes these essential components, not solely demolition expenditures, he explained, adding that “So we have demolition, we have installation of streetlights, the installation of safety barriers and safety signs. And so we have safety works, we have demolishing works, we have street light works. So it’s not only the demolishing that is one 1 million, but it comprises of a demolishing then the street light works and then installation of safety features.”