Roads Minister directs 24-Hour works on Tema Motorway Project

Minister of Roads and Highways, Governs Kwame Agbodza, has instructed contractor Maripoma Enterprise Limited to accelerate work on the Tema Motorway project to ensure its completion by 2027.

The Tema Motorway is a critical transport artery connecting Tema Port to other parts of the country, but ongoing construction has caused significant disruption to daily traffic.

While acknowledging progress on the project, Agbodza urged the contractor to adopt round-the-clock operations and shift major construction activities to the night when traffic volumes are lower.

“It appears you have done about 10% extra work since we were here the last time,” he said during an inspection of the project.

He also commended the contractor for completing a major bridge ahead of schedule at an active junction without any safety incidents.

“The main bridge not far from where we are standing has also been completed without any incidents,” he said.

“My fear actually has always been the risk to the public because it’s an intersection that is in use 24/7.”

According to the Minister, the successful completion of the bridge demonstrates that the contractor can accelerate work without compromising public safety.

He therefore urged the company to align its construction schedule with the government’s 24-hour economy policy, particularly by undertaking more disruptive activities at night to reduce traffic congestion during the day.

“A project like this elsewhere will be done 24/7. There’s no reason why you cannot work even more at night than the day,” he said.

To reduce the impact of the ongoing works on commuters, Agbodza recommended restructuring the construction schedule to maintain traffic flow during the day.

“So I’m encouraging you to take advantage of the President’s 24-hour economy to do more of the disruptive works in the night and rather scale down during the day and make certain or dedicated lanes available for the public to use during the day,” he said.

He stressed that timely completion of the project was essential, given the inconvenience being experienced by motorists.

“We are hopeful that you can complete this on schedule because the motoring public can’t understand why they have to go through this for that long period,” he added.