Today in History: Watch as Dr Nkrumah opens Accra-Tema Motorway to traffic

Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, officially opened the Accra-Tema Motorway to traffic on November 30, 1965, marking a major milestone in the country’s road infrastructure development.

The approximately 19.5-kilometre highway was constructed to connect Accra to Tema, the country’s industrial and harbour city, providing a direct transport link between the two important urban centres.

Built under Dr Nkrumah’s administration, the motorway was modelled after Germany’s famous Autobahn highway system.

The project was also conceived as the first phase of a broader motorway network intended to connect major towns and cities across Ghana.

More than six decades after its opening, the Accra-Tema Motorway remains a major transport corridor, serving thousands of commuters and motorists travelling between Accra and Tema.

Expansion project reaches 53% completion

Meanwhile, the ongoing expansion of the Accra-Tema Motorway under the government’s Big Push infrastructure programme has reached 53 per cent completion.

Despite delays affecting the project, construction work is continuing on bridges, interchanges, footbridges and the expansion of sections of the highway.

The Project Manager for the Accra Motorway Project, Ing. Ben Sackey, disclosed that approximately 70 per cent of the concrete structures planned under the project had been completed.

These include key infrastructure components expected to improve traffic flow, road safety and accessibility along the busy corridor.

Speaking to GhanaWeb during a site inspection, Ing Sackey said work was progressing across several sections of the motorway, with contractors undertaking road expansion, bridge reconstruction and the construction of facilities to improve commuter access.

He further disclosed that three existing bridges used for river crossings along the motorway, which had served motorists for more than 60 years, were being reconstructed to accommodate the requirements of the upgraded highway.

The ongoing works are expected to modernise the historic Accra-Tema Motorway and improve its capacity to handle the increasing volume of traffic between the capital and the industrial city of Tema.