As part of the Federal Government’s efforts to ensure quality delivery of construction works, the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi has unveiled six (6) new policies to guide road construction projects across the country.
Umahi disclosed these policies when the national leadership of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) led by its President, Engr. Tasiu Sa’ad Gidari Wudil paid him a courtesy call in his office in Abuja on 23rd November 2023.
Nairametrics gathered this information from a press statement published on the official website of the Federal Ministry of Works on Friday, November 24, 2023.
What the new policies on road infrastructure are
Mr. Umahi emphasised that to put an end to the ‘business as usual’ syndrome that has become commonplace in road construction, it was imperative that the ministry reeled out policies to achieve quality delivery of road construction works across the country.
Here are the six policies that Umahi unveiled to guide road construction projects across Nigeria:
- Good stabilized and tested subgrade, sub-base course before pavement placement.
- Expose subgrade, sub-base and base course to 60 days of vehicular movement and continuous sheep-foot rolling before pavement placement.
- Introduction of reinforced concrete road pavement in most roads’ carriageways and shoulders.
- Continuous maintenance of all roads under construction throughout the life of the project under contract.
- Effective design of road infrastructure anchored on a detailed report of environmental site conditions and geotechnical report.
- Community relations in terms of keeping roads motorable under the period of the contract.
Umahi’s preference for concrete pavement over asphalt in road construction
While Umahi pointed out that concrete pavement and asphalt have their attendant conditions in road construction, he said concrete is most suited for the terrain of Nigerian roads.
- “You cannot put asphalt in water but you can put concrete in water,” the minister explained.
Furthermore, he noted that the cost of materials for concrete pavement is significantly cheaper when compared to the cost of materials for asphalt pavement, reiterating the ministry’s position on prudence and value for money.
However, Umahi emphasised that supervision was necessary for the actualization of quality road construction, whether concrete pavement or asphalt.
