By EricJames Ochigbo
Abuja – The House of Representatives has urged the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, states ministries of works and contractors to consider using concrete pavement technology in the construction of roads.
This was sequel to a unanimous adoption of a motion by Rep. Livinus Makwe (PDP-Ebonyi) at the plenary of Tuesday.
Makwe noted that the prevalent method of road construction in the country using asphalt was always ending up in roads with short lifespan, particularly in areas prone to heavy rainfall.
Such roads, he said, could easily develop potholes that account for the high percentage of fatal accidents on the roads in the country.
According to the lawmaker, in spite of improvements in road construction technology, Nigeria is still living in the past by expending efforts and scarce resources in their billions, in regularly resurfacing and maintaining asphalted roads.
“While most nations have transited to cost and life-saving technologies in road construction, Nigeria is still stuck with asphalt technology, which suffers short time span, high net costs and aggravates the rate of loss of lives on the roads.
“The concrete paved roads are very durable, carry very high traffic loads and require little or no maintenance over the course of several years.
“Concrete pavements are produced from the abundant and locally available materials like granite, sand, cement and water; therefore, the adoption of this method will have multiplier effects in job creation in the road materials sector,” he said.
He said that using concrete pavements guarantees durability, cost saving, environmental safety and elimination of high mortality rate on the roads.
In his ruling, the Deputy Speaker of the House Ahmed Wase, mandated the Committee on Works to ensure compliance.
(NAN)
