Accra-Tema Motorway reconstruction 48% complete with drainage works reducing flooding

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The reconstruction of the Accra-Tema Motorway is 48% complete, with major drainage infrastructure already helping to reduce flooding along the corridor, according to road construction consultant Ing. Kwabena Bempong.Ing. Bempong said work is currently focused on the urban highway, which will function as a service road alongside the main motorway.“We’re currently working on the urban highway, which is more like a service road. We’re currently around 48%; we have not yet gone halfway through,” he told host Bernard Avle.He explained that a significant portion of the project has centred on drainage infrastructure and interchange construction to address the perennial flooding that has affected sections of the motorway.“The challenges we have had mainly were the various diversions around the interchanges and the drainage structures,” he said.According to Ing. Bempong, the project involves the construction of about 20 culverts and three interchanges, with most of those structures now nearing completion.“We have about 20 culverts and three interchanges; we have constructed lots of them, and the majority are almost done, and that has reduced the flooding; we didn’t experience that,” he said.He added that contractors have prioritised keeping the motorway open to traffic while construction continues.“We make sure the road is passable throughout the period of construction,” he stated.He spoke on The Point of View on Channel One TV on Monday, July 13, The update comes after recent flooding in parts of the country that claimed lives, displaced residents and submerged homes, prompting renewed attention on drainage infrastructure and flood mitigation.In response to the disaster, President John Dramani Mahama directed a nationwide clean-up exercise, which took place on Friday, July 10, and Saturday, July 11. The exercise brought together the President, government officials and members of the public to desilt drains, clear choked gutters and clean streets in flood-affected communities as part of efforts to improve sanitation and reduce the risk of future flooding.