Over the past 6 months, the Tema-Accra inter-city commuters witnessed the unfolding of the 2ndmagnificent corporate social initiatives taken by the Board of Directors and Shareholders of Meridian Port Services. The MPS Project Team, Project Management Consultants and Contractors worked around the clock day and night on the upgrading and improvement of the Tema Community 3 Beach Road Junction.
The project started in January 2019 with sod cutting ceremony under the care of the Honorable Ministers of Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Roads & Highways.On 28th June, 2019,the upgraded junction was partially opened to motorists and meeting the deadline for the commencement of operations at MPS Tema Port Terminal 3.
Owing to the critical location of the project, MPS worked assiduously with its key stakeholders including the Ministry of Roads and Highways’ Department of Urban Roads to ensure safety of pedestrians (through the use of appropriate road signage) using a regularly monitored Traffic Management Plan.
Chief Executive officer of MPS, Mr Mohamed Samara explained that the connectivity to roads and railways is significant toPorts.“Our statement(We connect, You thrive) is the driving force behind the Tema Port expansion project. While the new port facility provides an efficient connectivity for Ghana’seconomy to the global market through the port waterfront, it is important that we plug the Port to the hinter lands. This can be achieved with an effective transport system including accessible roads and a vibrant rail system.”
MPS has chosen through our shareholders to make the first step of action on the former. It is worthy to note that, the upgraded Tema Beach Road junction has a robust design made to withstand the heavy movement of trucks in and out of the new port. Again, the latest technology was employed in the concrete pavement finishing to increase adherence and prevent vehicles from slipping off the surface of the roads when it rains.
Accra and Tema are connected by 2 roads only; The Accra-Tema Motorway and the Beach Road.Both corridors carryall the traffic from the Tema to Accra as well as the majority of commuters between Greater Accra and the surrounding regions of the country and beyond.
With its completion, the junction willmodernizethe road leading to the new Tema Port, significantly reduce travel time and cut down on accidents resulting from hasty movement by vehicles caught up in the hitherto persistent gridlock.
The CEO concluded that the expectations are very high and the knock-on effects of Terminal 3 on Ghana’s trade and industry need to be supported with more road & rail capacities soon and the anticipation is that the concession for building 8-Lane Expressway through the Tema Hospital Road will be finalized soon so as to add more road network capacity in the Tema Metropolis.
BACKGROUND
The project which costs 9 million USDollars (about 50 million Ghana Cedis)is solely financed by the Meridian Port Services Ltd as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
It involved the construction of a new roundabout and four slip roads within each quadrant of the roundabout as well as upgrades of access roads coming from the north, east and west. This road improvement will ease congestion and improve the daily life of commuters between Tema and Accra.
The improvement works at the Community 3 Beach road Junction also represents the corner cast of the Government of Ghana’s Tema Arterial Road Project and is in line with its vision of improving the road network in the Tema Metropolis due to the important role the Port of Tema in the economic fortunes of the nation.
This is the second time MPS has undertaken a project of this nature as in 2017, it expanded the existing Tema Motorway Roundabout to alleviate transport difficulties on the Trans-West African Highway which linked Accra to other parts of Ghana and Lomé.
“MPS will continue to engage in projects that improve the socio-economic well-being of Tema and Ghana at large.” Mr. Samara said.
