Contractors working on the Accra–Tema Motorway Expansion have suspended a planned road diversion at the Tetteh Quarshie Interchange following severe traffic congestion that left commuters stranded for hours.
Speaking to the media on March 10, Project Manager Ing. Ben Sackey explained that the decision was taken after the diversion, which was intended to facilitate bridge expansion works, caused far more disruption than anticipated.
“Basically, our work programme has reached Tetteh Quarshie, where we are to expand the bridge,” Ing. Sackey said in an interview. “The plan is to extend the existing lanes, bringing the bridge to ten lanes by adding three more lanes on each side. To do this, we need to control traffic to allow the launching of the T-beams on the piers already constructed.”
He added that the traffic management plan was initially simulated to ensure smooth operations. “Yesterday, however, we realised that the real-world impact of the traffic was far worse than what we had expected. Continuing with the plan as it was would have caused unacceptable congestion for the next four months,” he said.
Acknowledging that the suspension may affect the project timeline, Ing. Sackey emphasised the contractors’ responsibility to the public. “As contractors, we are accountable to the public. We must consider their challenges and factor them into our programme. While this decision may delay our schedule, we are committed to revising the scheme to find a better solution that is conducive both the contractor and the public.”
He further indicated that a meeting would be held to deliberate on alternative traffic management options. “We aim to implement a plan that will not impose the level of traffic congestion witnessed yesterday,” he concluded.
The Accra–Tema Motorway Expansion project is a major infrastructure initiative aimed at easing traffic flow between Accra and Tema, but recent developments at Tetteh Quarshie highlight the challenges of balancing construction progress with commuter convenience.
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