Follow Us on Google
The Benin-Asaba Expressway Concession Company Limited (BAECC) has announced plans to accelerate permanent construction work on the 125-kilometre highway from October as the rains recede.
The company, which acknowledged the difficulties being experienced by motorists and communities along the corridor, said additional personnel, equipment and construction resources were being mobilised to take advantage of the dry season construction window.
Chief Executive Officer of BAECC, Samuel Daramola, said the accelerated programme would cover drainage completion, pavement reconstruction, asphalt binder and wearing-course installation, culvert construction and other permanent works across multiple sections of the highway.
“As the rains recede, Nigerians will see a significant acceleration of permanent works,” Daramola said.
He appealed for patience from motorists and communities, saying persistent rainfall and the challenge of reconstructing the heavily travelled highway while keeping it open to traffic had affected the pace of work.
“We recognise the inconvenience that motorists and communities have experienced, and we do not take their concerns lightly.
“Our responsibility is not only to build the permanent road but also to do everything reasonably possible to keep people moving while construction is taking place,” he said.
The project is being executed under a 36-month construction programme involving extensive reconstruction and expansion, earthworks, drainage systems, pavement construction, culverts, traffic management and installation of production facilities.
BAECC said substantial work had already been undertaken on different sections, including earthworks and subgrade preparation, drainage and culvert construction, asphalt and binder-course works and carriageway expansion. The company said it had also mobilised asphalt plants, concrete batching plants, paving equipment, concrete mould plants, Wet Mix Macadam plants and other specialised construction equipment.
According to BAECC, billions of naira in private-sector resources have been committed to equipment, construction plants, materials, logistics and supporting infrastructure.
Daramola said much of the preparatory work might not be immediately visible to motorists but was essential to the construction of a permanent highway.
“A project of this magnitude is built in stages. Before the travelling public sees kilometres of finished asphalt, there must be drainage, earthworks, pavement preparation, production plants and equipment mobilisation,” he said.
BAECC identified persistent rainfall as a major challenge, explaining that saturated ground conditions had affected earthworks, pavement stabilisation and asphalt operations.
Daramola, however, said the rains had affected the sequencing and pace of some activities rather than stopped construction.
“Where permanent pavement operations are restricted by rainfall, our teams continue with other engineering activities and palliative interventions,” he said.
The company said reconstruction had been further complicated by the need to keep the busy corridor open to thousands of motorists, buses, commercial vehicles and articulated trucks.
It disclosed that treated sections had sometimes been reopened to traffic earlier than ordinarily preferred in order to ease congestion.
“We are building and managing traffic at the same time,” Daramola said. “There are occasions when engineering considerations would favour keeping a section closed for longer, but the realities facing motorists require us to reopen the road.”
BAECC said palliative interventions would continue on difficult sections while permanent reconstruction progresses.
“Our immediate task is to reduce the inconvenience being experienced today while remaining focused on the permanent solution,” Daramola said.
He urged motorists and host communities to assess the project within the overall 36-month construction programme rather than solely on the difficulties currently being experienced.
“We are not asking anyone to ignore the present difficulties. We recognise them and are addressing them through palliative interventions while building the permanent solution.
“What we ask for is the time and opportunity to deliver the project within the construction programme. Judge us ultimately by the quality, durability and safety of the highway we deliver,” he said.
BAECC pledged continued cooperation with the Federal Government, relevant agencies and host communities towards delivering the highway.
“The road people see during construction is not the road they will see at completion,” Daramola said. “We ask for a little more patience and the opportunity to complete what we have started.”
