By Adeyinka Aderibigbe
The Lagos State Public Works Corporation (LSPWC) has lamented the disruption of its scheduled road maintenance and rehabilitation activities by the continuous heavy rainfall being experienced in most parts of the state.
This was made known on Monday by the General Manager of the Corporation, Engr. Lateef Somide, while speaking on the on-going efforts of his agency to make Lagos roads motorable in spite of the rains.
According to him, the Corporation has been significantly handicapped by the rainfall pattern being experienced in Lagos this year 2023 owing to the fact that road maintenance and rehabilitation operation can only be carried out efficiently under clement weather.
He said that even though the current situation is a manifestation of global warming which has caused varied degrees of devastation to countries across the world, its impact on Lagos roads has been particularly significant due to the high water table nature of the topography in most part of the state.
This, according to him makes the usage of Hot Asphalt which is the major material for road pavement not suitable in wet weather. He said ‘’what we have noticed in the past couple of months is that while waiting for the ground to dry after a particular rainfall so as to address damaged sections of the road, another heavy downpour occurs within a space of two to three days’’, adding that ‘’despite that we carefully use weather forecasts in planning our operation, there are many instances where rain falls sooner than our men left the sites, thus compromising the integrity of the work done’’.
Engr. Somide said for this reason, the Corporation has resolved to use more of interlocking paving stones to fix road defects in the state in order to avoid using Asphalt Premix that may not stand the test of time due to weather condition, while adding that in spite of the weather condition, his men had recently carried out maintenance work on sections of roads which include Egbeda-Idimu road, Ikotun-Igando road, Ilupeju road, Isheri-Olowora road, Lateef Jakande road, Lasu-Iba Road and Ado Badore road by Church of Ascension among others.
“The present administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has remained committed to supporting the Corporation in all possible ways but we have to make judicious use of tax payers funds by using more of Interlocking Paving Stones, Cold Mix Asphalt and some palliative methods to provide temporary relief in anticipation of clement weather’’ He said.
Speaking on some failed sections of roads such as the Ogunnusi Road by Area G. Police Command and a section of Ikotun Egbe road by Ikotun Market, the General Manager hinted that such are examples of many situations where his Agency cannot embark on proper maintenance work due to the fact that major drainage repair work is required in order for the road to last when fixed. He said ‘’This is why we have continued to work in synergy with the Lagos State Office of Drainage Services in order to arrest such situations.’’
While thanking members of the public for not relenting in reporting defective portions of roads in their communities through the media and various social media handles of the Corporation, the General Manager reaffirmed that his agency puts high premium on feedback and this has helped to enhance its efforts at delivering on the mandate of Mr Governor to the people of Lagos in terms of ensuring that roads remain in good and motorable condition.