The 19.5-kilometre project is a 10-lane span from the Tetteh Quarshie roundabout to the Tema roundabout.
The scope of work of the project includes a 10-lane, 19.5-kilometre motorway comprising 4 lanes of reinforced concrete motorway and 6 lanes of urban highway.
The project also includes the reconstruction of Tetteh Quarshie to Apenkwa (5.7 km), the remodelling of Tetteh Quarshie, Apenkwa and Achimota interchanges, the construction of five new interchanges (Lashibi, Abattoir, Teshie Link, Fiesta Royale, and Neoplan junction), 14 No. pedestrian footbridges, toll plazas, and streetlights.
The Accra-Tema motorway has deteriorated and has become a death trap, with high traffic growth and encroachment of right-of-way, and unless serious efforts are made by the government to save this vital national asset, traffic build-up and inconveniences to commuters will soon dwarf what exists on other heavily trafficked streets in Accra.
Poor land-use development, excessive axle loading, and substandard maintenance practices are pushing the motorway into an irreversible destructive spiral, posing major threats to productivity and national security.
The 19-kilometre motorway is the oldest paved road in Ghana.
Being a concrete pavement, it is more expensive to construct than asphalt or other bituminous surface roads, but it is more economical to operate over the long term. It is longer lasting, stronger, and requires minimal maintenance.