Accra -Tema motorway tolls and maintenance
The Accra-Tema Motorway was built as part of efforts to develop Ghana into an industrial hub. It had all the structures of putting the country’s infrastructure requirements in place, a legislation to build toll roads, massive private sector participation and the efficient delivery of roads at real costs.
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The link forms an integral part of the National Route 1(N1) starting from Aflao (in the Volta Region) and ending at Elubo (in the Western Region).
It is also part of the Trans West African Highway (Abidjan-Lagos Corridor), linking the city from the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) to the Tema Port.
But what has been the situation after the development of the road and its opening in November 1965 to link Tema to Accra?
Tolls
The Roads and Tolls Regulation of 1999 (LI 1660) which replaced the Tolls Decree,153 of 1973 on October 20,1999, saw the 19 kilometre- Tema Motorway become the first toll road across the country.
The idea to toll the motorway and by extension other roads across the country was to raise revenue .
With funding for roads often from the government’s kitty, the growing trend to seek other sources of funding necessitated the introduction of a legislation.
The highway’s proximity to the Tema Port, had seen it boosting transit trade among West African countries.
With an estimate of 30,000 vehicles plying the route daily, the highway could be described as a vital component in Ghana’s maritime trade.
But do you know that the 51 year old motorway which could be described as the highest revenue generating toll road is yet to benefit from its huge earnings?
Like the typical Ghanaian who places no value on maintenance, the road has seen no major rehabilitation and has been left in a deplorable state.
Useful Purpose?
With no visible illumination along the stretch, years after some GH¢1.95 million cedis was pumped into a street light project to illuminate the stretch, road crashes could be said to be a daily occurrence.
Unsafe bridges, dangerous potholes, stolen side-rails, lack of reflectors, broken-down vehicles, commuters crossing and general disregard for road safety measures are some of the identifiable hazards one could see while driving on the stretch.
But why have the huge revenues from tolls generated along the stretch not gone into maintaining the express way over the years?
While resources are spent on “talk shop” conferences, on roads and trade conferences, are outcomes from these engagements implemented as a way of ensuring the stretch is properly rehabilitated for trade promotion?
Expansion
With the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) and the Meridian Port Services (MPS) about to pump millions of dollars into an expansion work aimed at expanding the road into a six- lane express highway as a component of the Tema Port expansion project, is there a likelihood that the road toll regulation could be changed to ensure toll revenue from the stretch is used for future maintenance?