Umahi to Investor: Rebuild Lagos-Abeokuta Road with Concrete or Not at All

The Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi, has ordered the reconstruction of the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway using concrete pavement to mitigate water damage to asphalt surfaces.

This directive came during an inspection of emergency repairs on a seven-kilometre stretch of the road in Lagos State on Tuesday.

Umahi noted that the Ogun section of the expressway has already been managed by the state government.

He emphasized that concrete pavement is necessary to address the ongoing issues caused by water infiltration, assuring that funds would be released soon for the completion of repairs on the remaining 11-kilometre stretch.

The minister instructed the contractor responsible for the emergency repairs to focus on deploying a stone base and reopening the road to traffic.

He indicated that asphalt could potentially be laid by mid-November.

During his visit, Umahi reiterated his preference for concrete over asphalt for this project, stating, “My recommendation for this road has been to use concrete, and it looks like the investor insisted on using asphalt.

If the investor will not use concrete, he should go out of the road.”

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In response, Mrs. Olukorede Kesha, the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos State, expressed gratitude to the minister for his efforts to improve conditions for expressway users.

She remarked, “Before now, this place was impassable.

As I said in the news the last time, it was drum holes, not potholes, and it was impassable.

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With your directive, sir, the contractor moved to the site, and we can see that life is being restored to the highway.”

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Federal Government had announced on September 30 that the palliative works would be completed within two weeks.

These works involve filling large holes, laying stone bases, and applying a binding layer to create a smoother road surface.