Tema motorway interchange to be opened to traffic in November

The interchange currently under construction on the Tema motorway is expected to be opened to traffic in November this year, instead of December in order to reduce traffic congestion in the area.

This is also to enable the con­tractors working on the “Project for the Improvement of the Tema motorway roundabout Phase II” to work on sections of the road currently being used by motorists.

The Assistant Resident Supervisor of the project, Yaw Tenkorang Osei, disclosed this on Wednesday during a site visit by officials from the Japanese Embassy and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

He said the earlier opening of the overpass follows a request made by the Minister of Roads and High­ways, Francis Asenso-Boakye, the Ghana Highway Authority, consul­tants, and contractors.

“We plan to open the bridge to the public in November as requested by the Minister, the Ghana Highway Authority, consultants, and contrac­tors. We are working to meet this target, although the final completion of the project, as per the contract, is set for December,” he said.

The “Project for the Improve­ment of the Tema Motorway Roundabout 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, Phase II of the project, involves construct­ing a third-tier flyover was currently 75 per cent complete and features a 142-metre continuous composite steel bridge, a 2,820 square meter steel-concrete composite slab, and two steel box section frame piers.

Mr Osei noted that the flyover include a deep foundation with a 5-metrediametre for the main struc­ture and a 2.5-metre diameter for the supports.

He said 142-metre flyover is built with steel and features a painting system designed to last over 70 years.

He further urged the government to incorporate similar steel and concrete designs in other flyover projects to enhance traffic manage­ment and meet targets effectively.

The delegation also visited other Japanese-sponsored projects in Accra, including SORA Technology and TranSonica Company Limited.

The Head of Africa Business, SORA Technology, Mary Yeboah Asantewaa, stated that there was a need to build new and resilient healthcare systems through digitalisation.

“That is why we designed this SORA Malaria Control System (SMC) which uses AI and drone to detect mosquito larvae habitat which was cost effective and efficient as compared to Larval Source Management (LSM),” she highlighted.

Ms Asantewaa said using traditional Larval Source Man­agement (LSM) involves sending health officials to identify and treat stagnant water bodies, which is costly and inefficient.

In contrast, she said the SORA Malaria Control System (SMC) utilises drones and AI to accurately detect water bodies with larvae, saving 40 percent in overall costs compared to LSM.

The Chief Executive Officer of TranSonica Company Lim­ited, Mr Daniel Elliot Kwantwi, briefing the delegation about the company’s activities, indicated that TranSonica developed cards for making cashless payments on a bus and in shops.

She said the company had over 13,000 cardholders operating in 87 shops at the University of Ghana.