The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has announced that henceforth, only concrete road technology would be adopted throughout the country.
Umahi made this known during a visit to Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River State in Calabar on Friday.
The minister explained that he was conducting a road tour in the Niger Delta region, following President Bola Tinubu’s directive.
He said the president has authorised the implementation of reinforced concrete technology for all road projects across the country, with a particular focus on the Niger Delta due to its water levels.
Umahi, an engineer by profession, noted that the failure of roads in the country often stems from contractors neglecting proper compaction of soil, embankments, and pavement.
He expressed concern over the substandard and adulterated bitumen being supplied to the country by contractors.
He said, “We are insisting that going forward, any contractors that do not have a sheep foot roller will not be awarded a road contract.
“We expect that when doing a road, you use sharp sand first after removing the mud up to a stable place, then you apply lumps and sharp sand again before you do stone base and allow vehicles on it for a duration to achieve good compaction.”
Following the meeting, the Minister and Governor Bassey Otu toured one of the state’s reinforced concrete road projects.
The pinister then proceeded to continue his tour of federal roads in Cross River, including the Calabar-Itu federal highway leading to Akwa Ibom State and the Akamkpa-Biase Federal road leading to Benue State.
Governor Bassey Otu welcomed the minister and urged more attention to be given to federal roads in the state, which are vital for connecting the state to neighboring states as well as Nigeria to Cameroon.
Otu commended Umahi for his dedication to addressing issues related to failed and substandard roads.
He mentioned that his administration had already implemented reinforced concrete road technology in the state, citing Nyong Edem Street in Calabar South as an example of a road constructed using reinforced concrete.