President John Dramani Mahama says the proposed Accra-Kumasi Expressway will significantly reduce travel time between the two cities, with motorists potentially completing the journey in about two hours when the project is completed.
The President made the remarks on Monday, September 14, at Kwaso in the Ashanti Region, during the official handover of the 175.6-kilometre right-of-way by the Ghana Armed Forces to the state for the construction of the expressway.
According to the President, the proposed 198.7-kilometre six-lane expressway will follow a different alignment from the existing Accra-Kumasi Highway, which is about 270 kilometres long.
President Mahama explained that the new alignment will reduce the travelling distance between Accra and Kumasi by nearly 70 kilometres.
“When completed, as you were told, the recommended speed on the Expressway will be 120km per hour. You can drive at 120km per hour,” he noted.
According to him, even at a speed of 100 kilometres per hour, motorists could complete the journey in about two hours, compared to the five to six hours currently required on the existing highway.
“Even if he is travelling at 100km an hour, it means that the journey will take him two hours, instead of the five to six hours that we currently use on the old Accra-Kumasi highway,” President Mahama said.
He stressed that the reduced travel time would make it possible for people to commute between the two cities for business and return home the same day.
“And so Nana, when this Expressway is finished, you can leave Kumasi at 6am and you’ll be in Accra by 8am,” he stated.
President Mahama also explained that the expressway will have three lanes designed to accommodate vehicles travelling at different speeds, with slower vehicles expected to remain in the outer lane and faster vehicles using the inner lane.
The project is expected to improve connectivity between Accra and Kumasi while significantly reducing the time and distance required to travel between the two cities.
