The Director of the Building and Roads Research Institute, Dr. Daniel Asenso-Gyambibi, has lauded government’s decision to engage in Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) in the construction of major highways across the country.

According to him, it is the best way in building the country’s road infrastructure. He revealed that embracing the PPP is long overdue and would be beneficial to Ghana’s economy.

“Going the PPP way to build our road infrastructure is the best way; in fact, we have no other alternative… This is the way to go, we have even spent too much, we have wasted too much time on it.”
Dr. Daniel Asenso-Gyambibi

Dr Asenso-Gyambibi cited Kenya’s newly constructed express way, indicating that it has helped in reducing traffic hours from three hours to 20 minutes. This, he explained, helps to save fuel consumed by vehicles on the roads.

“If I’m going to drive on that road and pay a toll of say 30 cedis, and save two hours 40 minutes to get to my destination, why wouldn’t I do that? I move from Kumasi to Accra at least three times or two times in a month, and if I have to travel from Accra to Kumasi and spend four and half hours on the road, if I get a private person to build a very good road, good concrete road that will take me two and half hours to go to Accra and spend 30 cedis that’s about 4 dollars or something to Accra I will do that because that road will be safe, that road will be economical and it will save me time and convenience.”
Dr. Daniel Asenso-Gyambibi

Tolling on motorway will vary

On his part, the Deputy Roads and Highways Minister, Stephen Jalulah, revealed that the tolling on the Accra-Tema motorway will vary depending on the lane one is using.

“These are early days yet, what I know is that the design is going to be such that two lanes on either side of the road will be express roads and it will be concrete as well. Then there will be additional three lanes on either side, and that will be slip roads and access roads. My understanding is that the tolling is going to vary. If you’re using the express way, you may pay a little higher than when you are using the side road.”
Stephen Jalulah

The deputy roads minister noted that even as the government hurries to complete the Accra-Tema motorway, it is also earnestly working on the Accra-Tema beach road to serve as an alternate route. He stated that the beach road upon completion will not be tolled.

“For now, the tolling will be done on the Tema Motorway and as the Minister said, going forward, whatever road the government will do on PPP arrangements will be tolled.”
Stephen Jalulah

Mr Jalulah expressed that government is “busily developing the coastal road, the beach road, from the Independence square” towards Tema. He emphasized that in any case when government completes it before the motorway, those who may not be able to use the motorway can conveniently use the beach road to access Tema and Accra.