The project comes 58 years after the nation’s first major concrete road was built by Dr Kwame Nkrumah to link the harbour city of Tema and Accra in the 1960s.
The construction of the 5.4km road project, through the Tema Steel Works and the Driver, Vehicle and Licensing Authority, is expected the usher in a new dawn of the construction of concrete roads in the country.
The road, which is on a pilot project, connects the Tema Port through the Tema Oil Refinery road to the N1 (Tema-Aflao section) and the N2 (Akosombo -Eastern Corridor).
Speaking at the sod-cutting ceremony in Accra in Tema yesterday, the Vice-President noted that the option for concrete roads forms part of the transformational agenda of government to construct roads that are cost-effective, durable, economical and environmentally viable.
“The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, stood for election wanting to change Ghana, and last year, he made a call, and I repeated it on June 19, that we should look at instituting a major change in the construction of our roads,” he added.
The Vice President, thus, tasked the Ministry of Roads and Highways to undertake a research in the use of local materials like cement, aggregate and sand in road construction in the country.
“I want to urge the Ministry of Roads and Highways to sustain this policy direction using concrete as the preferred pavement type on heavy axle roads like those in the industrial areas in our country.”
He added that it was imperative to assess the life cycle, cost and durability of roads across the country and make moves towards the construction of more concrete roads, especially those used by heavy trucks.
“Let’s look at the life cycle costs and the durability of our roads and make a move towards the construction of more concrete roads, especially roads on which the pressure is very high.”
The Vice-President further emphasised the need to train young and upcoming engineers and contractors in the use of concrete as pavement option as this is critical in helping sustain the policy direction of government to improve road infrastructure in the country.
He appealed to Ghanaians to desist from activities that reduce the lifespan of roads in the country.
He was grateful to all the partners and stakeholders for their efforts in realising the commencement of the project.
By Daniel NONOR, Tema
(Selorm) | 
(Nana Kwesi)