By JKNewsMedia
CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES on the 125-kilometre Benin-Asaba Expressway are expected to accelerate from October as weather conditions improve, with the project concessionaire appealing to motorists and host communities for patience.
The Benin-Asaba Expressway Concession Company Limited, BAECC, said persistent rainfall had affected the sequencing and pace of some construction activities but had not stopped work on the heavily travelled corridor.
Chief Executive Officer of BAECC, Samuel Daramola, said the company remained committed to delivering the project under its 36-month construction programme despite the challenges of rebuilding the highway while keeping it open to traffic.
“We recognise the inconvenience that motorists and communities have experienced, and we do not take their concerns lightly,” Daramola said. “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.”
The project involves extensive reconstruction and expansion, including earthworks, drainage systems, pavement construction, culverts, traffic management and the installation of production facilities.
BAECC said substantial work had already been carried out on different sections, covering earthworks and subgrade preparation, drainage and culvert construction, asphalt and binder-course works and carriageway expansion.
The company has also mobilised asphalt plants, concrete batching plants, paving equipment, concrete mould plants, Wet Mix Macadam plants and other specialised construction equipment. It said billions of naira in private-sector resources had been committed to equipment, construction plants, materials, logistics and supporting infrastructure.
Daramola said some of the preparatory work might not be immediately visible to motorists but remained essential to permanent highway construction.
“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.
Persistent rainfall has emerged as a major challenge during the current phase of the project, with BAECC saying saturated ground conditions had affected earthworks, pavement stabilisation and asphalt operations.
Daramola stressed, however, that the weather had affected the sequencing and pace of some activities rather than brought construction to a halt.
“Where permanent pavement operations are restricted by rainfall, our teams continue with other engineering activities and palliative interventions,” he said.
The reconstruction has also been complicated by the need to keep the busy corridor open to thousands of motorists, buses, commercial vehicles and articulated trucks. BAECC said it had sometimes reopened treated sections earlier than would ordinarily be 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 to reduce hardship while permanent reconstruction progresses.
“Our immediate task is to reduce the inconvenience being experienced today while remaining focused on the permanent solution,” Daramola said.
The company said the major acceleration of permanent works from October would cover drainage completion, pavement reconstruction, asphalt binder and wearing-course installation, culvert construction and other permanent works across multiple sections.
Additional personnel, equipment and construction resources are also being mobilised for the dry season construction window.
“As the rains recede, Nigerians will see a significant acceleration of permanent works,” Daramola said.
He urged motorists and host communities to assess the project within its overall construction programme rather than solely by 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,” he said.
“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.”
BAECC also pledged continued cooperation with the Federal Government, relevant agencies and host communities, saying all stakeholders share the objective of delivering a safe and reliable 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.”
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