#FixTheMotorway: An urgent plea to rectify the lethal hazard

The Accra-Tema motorway, built in 1965 to link the harbor city to the Capital, has faithfully served Ghanaians from all walks of life over the years. However, the current state of the highway is one of total deterioration.

A significant portion of the road is riddled with potholes that have evolved over time into death traps. For drivers who cannot maneuver the rough sections of the road, the consequences range from losing balance to experiencing damage to vital parts of their vehicles. Those who manage to swerve the potholes often find themselves veering off the road, leaving them in a traumatized state.

Frustrated citizens have taken to Twitter to voice their concerns and have called on the government to address the dire condition of the road. However, the visible efforts thus far have been limited to applying thick layers of black bitumen mixed with gravel to cover the potholes. Unfortunately, after heavy rainfall, these patched areas become deeply hollow, resulting in a bumpy and hazardous ride for drivers.



In the first half of 2022, a tragic incident occurred when a man attempted to swerve a pothole on this deplorable highway while en route to pick up his children from school. The following morning, after the accident was reported, a quick fix of gravel and bitumen were used to patch the spot where the incident had occurred. Sadly, his journey home to reunite with his family turned into a hospital admission due to the terrible state of the motorway.



Despite the consistent pleas and rants from commuters to fix the motorway, there appears to be a significant level of nonchalance from both the Ministry of Roads and Highways and the government. The situation is exacerbated at night, as not a single streetlight along the highway provides illumination for drivers. This forces them to squint in order to focus on the road, adding to the hazards.



For several months now, driving on the motorway has become a perilous exercise of memorizing pothole locations in order to survive a ten to fifteen-minutes ride. Commuters traveling from Tema to Accra on a typical weekday are resigned to spending a minimum of an hour and thirty minutes on the road from the Abbatoir section of the road to the Manet Junction area. Those who set off after 3 pm often encounter a bumpy ride that slows down traffic, leading to congestion lasting from the late afternoon until about 8:30 pm.



The hashtag #FixTheMotorway is not merely an expression of concern but a cry of anguish. Ghanaians have lost their lives on this very stretch due to its deplorable condition.



Below, you'll find the concerns and reactions of Ghanaians who have been deeply affected by the terrible state of the Accra-Tema motorway, with some lamenting the loss of promising lives on this highway.