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Motorists hoping for relief on one of Ghana's busiest roads may have to wait longer. Delays in moving power and water lines are threatening the August 2027 completion date for the Accra-Tema Motorway expansion, according to a report by Citi Newsroom.
The US$339 million project covers the 19.5-kilometre motorway between Accra and Tema. Work began in August 2024 and is scheduled for completion in August 2027, Citi Newsroom reports.
The expansion is meant to ease traffic congestion, improve mobility and strengthen trade links on the corridor. It is being delivered with the Ministry of Roads and Highways and the Ghana Highway Authority, with A.T Expressway Limited as concessionaire and Maripoma Enterprise Limited as the engineering, procurement and construction contractor.
Relocating electricity and water lines along the route was supposed to happen within the project's first six months. But the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) have only been on site intermittently, slowing progress, according to the report.
Ghana Water was absent for about six months, and ECG's relocation works were held up by an eight-month absence. Both returned but withdrew again after about three months because of their own challenges. The Ghana Highway Authority had to step in to address the agencies' concerns before work could resume, Citi Newsroom reports.
As a result, construction is already slightly behind schedule.
Project manager Benjamin Sackey warned that the utility delays could put the August 2027 deadline at risk. On the agencies' recent work, he said they "have worked remarkably, but they are still on site."
"There is a lot of outstanding work we need to finish," he added.
The report did not include responses from ECG, GWCL or the contractors.
The Accra-Tema Motorway was built in the 1960s under Ghana's first president, Kwame Nkrumah, and was one of the first modern highways in West Africa. It links the capital to Tema, home to Ghana's largest port and a major industrial hub.
Over the decades, the road has struggled to cope with rising traffic, and its condition and congestion have been a regular source of complaints from drivers, transport operators and businesses that depend on the port.
The motorway is a vital link for goods moving to and from Tema Port, as well as for thousands of commuters who travel between Accra and Tema each day. Delays add to costs for businesses and time lost for workers.
Utility relocation is a common cause of delays on road projects in Ghana, where power, water and telecom lines often run along or beneath major roads. Coordination between road builders and utility companies has long been identified as a weak point in infrastructure delivery, and similar problems have slowed other projects in Accra and beyond.
Once completed, the expanded motorway is expected to cut travel times between Accra and Tema, reduce the heavy congestion around key interchanges and make the route safer for drivers. For businesses, faster movement of containers between the port and the capital could lower logistics costs.
The project is being delivered through a concession arrangement, with a private company responsible for the expanded road, an approach that has drawn interest as Ghana looks for new ways to fund major infrastructure.
Attention now turns to whether ECG and GWCL can complete their relocation works quickly enough to keep the project on track. Any revised timeline from the Ghana Highway Authority or the concessionaire will be closely watched by road users and businesses along the corridor.
