(Construction) - The new Tema Mortorway Interchange funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency was opened to traffic in June in Ghana, Western Africa.
 |
| Japan-funded Ghana’s largest highway interchange opens. |
As part of the “Project for Improvement of Ghanaian International Corridors,” the country's largest roundabout with the underpass was constructed on the crossing of the two roads from the nation’s capital, Accra, and Tema Port. Designed by Japan’s CTI Engineering International, the massive infrastructure was constructed by two Japanese contractors Shimizu and Dainippon Construction. New technologies such as aerial fixed-point observation by drones were adopted. Though they were forced to evacuate from the country before completion due to the spread of the corona virus, Japanese officials and engineers provided remote support for the local workers through online conferences.
At the intersection, morning and evening traffic congestion was chronic. A six-lane main road, five right-turn service roads, four pedestrian bridges, traffic lights, and street lights were included in the project. The underpass has become the longest in Ghana.
Raising awareness of Ghanaian workers under the Japanese safety management, the contractors successfully completed the project with accident-free work hours of more than 2 million hours during the construction period from February 2018 to June 2020.
"Local residents and road users will be free from the inconvenient life caused by traffic congestion." said President of Ghana Akufo-Addo at the opening ceremony. A representative of JICA celebrated the completion, saying "We believe that high-quality road infrastructure will bring a better future to everyone in the region." Mr. Uemura of Shimizu, the manager in charge of the construction expressed his gratitude for the cooperation from the stakeholders and said "Looking at the people driving through the intersection with a smile, I feel a sense of accomplishment." (2020/08/07)
The Daily Engineering and Construction News of Japan
Theo
