The Oyibi Gonten Mantse, who is also the Regent of the Nungua Mankralo Stool, Nii Bortey Kofi Frankwa II, has commended the government for cutting the sod for the expansion of the Accra to Tema Beach Road.

“We are extremely grateful to the government for staying true to the promise to reconstruct the road and also expand it because it will create an easy access link between the port city of Tema and the capital city,” he said.

Nii Frankwa II extended appreciation to the government on behalf of the Nungua Traditional Council after the Vice- President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, cut the sod for works to begin on the beach road stretch last Friday.

Showing more appreciation for the project, Nii Frankwa III said: “We are also thankful that the section through Teshie and Nungua shall be widened to a dual carriageway with a view to limiting the impact on Project Affected Persons along the corridor.”

The dualisation of the beach road, which runs from Osu and passes through Nungua to Community 3 in Tema, is part of the Accra Metropolitan Area Intelligent Traffic Management and Roads Completion Project.

Among others, the project is expected to bring about improvement in the capacity of the road between the Black Star Square and Tema Beach Road at Community 3, through a combination of traffic management and road widening measures.

Accessibility
“These projects when completed will improve accessibility, reduce congestion, and improve safety for all road users. This is a potential game-changer in our road networking, and urban development,” Dr Bawumia said, after he cut the sod for the project to commence.

The project is also expected to bring about improvements in the provision of pedestrian facilities such as walkways and safe crossing points, improvement in public transport facilities such as bus ways and to make provision for future Rapid Transit Bus operations along the entire route.

It will involve the construction of a three-tier interchange at Nungua Barrier to address the congestion problems that road users experience at the location.

Other inner city and urban roads receiving attention include the construction of the Teshie Link Road in Accra, the construction of the School Junction Road in Adjiriganor, the construction of the Boundary Road in Nungua, the upgrading of 84 kilometres of Accra Inner City roads, and the construction of 100 kilometres of Kumasi Inner City Roads.

More roads
Meanwhile, the Minister for Roads and Highways, Mr Kwasi Amoako Atta, has charged the contractor and the supervisors to ensure that the job opportunities (both skilled and unskilled) are made available to youth of the affected communities, and called on community leaders to be part of any effort to resolve any challenge that might arise in the course of the road construction.

Present at ceremony were the Overlord of the Gadangme State, Wor Lumo Kono Nuumo Borketey Laweh Tsuru XXXIII (Gborbu Wulomo-Shitse), the Nungua Mantse, Nii Odaifio Welentse III, Teshie Mantse, Greater Accra Regional Minister, Mr Ishmael Ashittey, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ledzokuku, Dr Bernard Okoe Boye, the Deputy Minister for Roads, Mr Anthony Abayifaa Karbo, among others.