Government has announced plans to begin the construction of a dual carriageway of the Beach Road from the Black Star Square through Teshie, Nungua up to Tema Community Three this year.

As part of the construction works, an interchange would be constructed at the Nungua barrier and would be funded by the China Development Bank to improve urban mobility and enhance socio-economic productivity of the national capital.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo announced this at the inauguration of the Accra Traffic Management Centre in Accra on Friday.

He said the loan agreement towards the execution of the project had already been approved by Cabinet and parliament.

In addition to the project, he said, government remained committed to improving the road networks and would construct new road infrastructure across the country to facilitate socio-economic activities and enhance productivity.

President Akufo-Addo said: “And to borrow the words of the Finance Minister, we’re fixing renaissance roads indeed, and not with drawings and pictures in doing this”.

He also mentioned other infrastructural projects including the construction of a four-tier interchange at Pokuase, which is 40 per cent complete, noting that, completion of the road would bring massive relief to commuters and motorists who ply Awoshie, Kwabenya, Nsawam and Pokuase roads.

Other road projects are 100km of Kumasi inner roads, which would commence next month and various extension projects including the dualisation of the Lake Road, commencement of the Tamale Interchange, which is expected to be completed in September 2020, while works on the Tema Motorway Interchange is 55 per cent complete and expected to be completed by June 2020.

He added that detailed designs of the Obestebi Lamptey Interchange have been completed and field works would start very soon.

President Akufo-Addo gave the assurance that construction works on the aforementioned road infrastructure would be delivered on time and within budget to ensure value for money.

“The modernisation of Ghana is gathering momentum and I urge all Ghanaians to join hands to build the Ghana we want,” The President said.

The Accra Traffic Management Centre (ATMC) is under the Urban Transport Project aimed at ensuring efficient vehicular traffic flow, mitigate road congestion and improve socio-economic productivity of the national capital.

The Centre, known as the “Area-Wide Traffic Signal Control System (AWTSCS)”, was implemented by the Ministry of Roads and Highways through the Department of Urban Roads, with funding from the French Development Agency and Ghana Government at an estimated cost of GHC8.3million (US$3.4million).

The project, first in Ghana and West Africa, was executed by Messrs Alumbrados Varios of Spain and Messrs Dakal Construction Works of Ghana, to improve traffic flow on urban road networks and ensure efficiency at the various road intersections.

The first phase of the project was targeted at the coordination of traffic signals and 41 traffic lights were upgraded at intersections between Neoplan Assembly Plant at Achimota, Kwame Nkrumah Avenue and Kojo Thompson Road to the Central Business District of Accra.