The House of Representatives on Tuesday tasked the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, state ministries of works, as well as contractors and other professionals in the construction industry to consider using concrete pavement technology in the construction of roads across the country.
This followed the adoption of a motion by the member representing Ohaozara /Onicha /Ivo Federal Constituency of Ebonyi, Livinus Makwe, on the benefits of the use of concrete pavement in the construction of roads.
Makwe in his motion contended that the roads constructed with asphalt have a very short life span, especially in areas that experience heavy rainfall, as they easily develop potholes resulting in accidents and deaths on the roads.
The lawmaker noted that despite improvements in road construction technology, Nigeria is still living in the past, as it has continued to expend efforts and scarce resources in regularly resurfacing and maintaining asphalted roads.
He noted that the use of concrete pavement for road construction guarantees “durability, cost savings, environmental safety and elimination of the high mortality rates on the roads.”
Makwe added that “while most nations have transited to cost and life-saving technologies in road construction, Nigeria is still stuck with asphalt technology which suffers short life span and high net costs and aggravates the rate of loss of lives on the roads.
“Concrete paved roads are very durable, carry very high traffic loads and require little or no maintenance over the course of several years.”
He added that since concrete pavements are produced from locally-sourced materials like granite, sand, cement and water, its adoption in road construction will have multiplier effects in job creation.
DAILY SUN