FG begins rehabilitation of Benin-Asaba highway

The Federal Ministry of Works says the rehabilitation of the failed sections on the Benin- Asaba highway has started.

The Federal Controller of Works in Delta, Matthew Ogar, announced this while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Asaba.

Mr Ogar said that the deplorable sections of the highway would be fixed in the next seven days.

According to him, the deplorable sections will be fixed promptly because they are causing gridlocks and untold hardship for motorists plying the route.

Mr Ogar sympathised with the motorists plying the route, adding that the road was actually on contract.

”The contractor started the rehabilitation project from the Onitsha Head Bridge down to Alifekede, in Ika South Local Government of Delta, the boundary between Delta and Edo.

“The contractor has started work at Alifekede. At the time the contractor started work, the Asaba axis was in good condition.

“But, it was during this rainy season that the Asaba section failed.

“And immediately we noticed the failure, I drew the attention of the contractor to it and palliative work was carried out on that failed portion,” he said.

According to him, the contractor started moving materials to the site on Tuesday.

Mr Ogar assured motorists plying the route that the failed sections would be fixed between now and next week.

He reiterated that the project’s total rehabilitation was supposed to take three years, adding that for now, the deplorable sections of the highway would be rehabilitated to ensure the free flow of traffic.

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“What we are doing is to work on one side. When we are done with the first carriageway, we will move to the next one.

“The essence is to allow vehicles to ply on one lane while work is ongoing on the other lane.

“I can assure you that very soon the gridlocks will be a thing of the past,” Mr Ogar said.

NAN recalls that the Delta Commissioner for Works (Rural and Riverine Roads), Charles Aniagwu, had earlier called on the federal government to urgently intervene on the failed portions of the road.

(NAN)