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A weighbridge is to be constructed on the newly rehabilitated Tema Beach Road to check axle load limit of trucks moving in and out of the Tema Harbour. The axle load of a vehicle is the total weight felt by the roadway for all wheels connected to a given axle. Messrs Ussuya Ghana Limited who was engaged by the Department of Urban Roads (DUR) has finished the rehabilitation of the Tema Beach Road, but the Minister of Roads and Highways, Alhaji Amin Amidu Sulemani, said it was important to protect the investment made on the road by siting a weighing bridge on it. Shortly after he had inspected the road, he told newsmen that the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) would be directed to position the weighbridge on the road. Truck drivers who use the Accra-Tema Motorway are required to adhere to the country�s axle load limit of 11.5 tonnes. Unfortunately, there is no mechanism to check the axle load limit on the Tema Beach Road which also carries a lot of the traffic from the Tema Harbour to the rest of the country, making that road a preferred one by many truck drivers. Alhaji Sulemani said even though the road was rehabilitated not too long ago, it was obvious that excess axle loads had a toll on it, hence its fast deterioration. �The disregard for the axle load limit by most truck drivers has led to the untimely deterioration and needless rehabilitation of the country�s road network,� he said. To prevent a recurrence, the minister said a weighbridge would be strategically positioned on the road to deal with axle load limits. He expressed optimism that such an intervention would help prolong the lifespan of the newly rehabilitated road. The 3.2 km road begins from the Nungua Barrier and ends just about 300 metres before the Sakumono Village towards Tema. Illegal development Alhaji Sulemani, who was accompanied by the Chief Director at the ministry, Dr Daniel Darku, and the Director of Urban Roads, Mr Abass Awolu, had to stop the development of what he described as an illegal roadwork leading to the new shopping mall under construction at the Nungua Barrier. Desmoni/WBHO, the company building a new shopping mall off the Nungua Barrier, is constructing an access to the mall on the road reservation. But Alhaji Sulemani ordered the workers to stop work immediately. He requested that the contractor meet officials of the DUR to sort out all the technical issues. The Contract Manager, Mr Gregory Leraux, indicated that he had authorisation but the minister and his team said they were not aware of such an authorisation and must, therefore, stop work on the road reservation.