Only concrete road technology will moving forward be used nationwide, according to the Minister of Works, David Umahi.
Umahi informed Bassey Otu of Cross River State of this during a meeting with him on Friday in Calabar.
According to the minister, President Bola Tinubu had instructed him to take a road trip through the Niger Delta region.
According to him, the president has approved the use of reinforced concrete technology for all upcoming road construction projects nationwide, with a special emphasis on the Niger Delta due to its high water table.
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The failure of roads in the nation, according to Umahi, an engineer by trade, frequently results from contractors failing to properly compact soil, embankments, and pavement.
He voiced worry over contractors supplying the nation with bitumen that is of poor quality and has been tampered with.
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 Governor Bassey Otu and the Minister went on a tour of a state-funded reinforced concrete road project.
The pinister then continued his tour of federal roadways in Cross River, including the federal highway connecting Calabar and Itu with Akwa Ibom State and the federal highway connecting Akamkpa and Biase with Benue State.
In addition to extending a warm welcome to the minister, Governor Bassey Otu recommended increased focus on the state’s federal roads, which are essential for linking the state to its neighbors as well as Nigeria and Cameroon.
Otu praised Umahi for his commitment to addressing problems with inadequate and failing roads.
Using Nyong Edem Street in Calabar South as an example of a reinforced concrete-built road, he claimed that his administration had already applied reinforced concrete road technology in the state.