Minister of Works, David Umahi, has expressed concern over the practice of parking fuel tankers and other heavy-duty vehicles on newly completed roads, warning that it threatens the durability of critical infrastructure.
Umahi spoke at the weekend during an inspection of the Aleto Bridge project in Rivers State.
In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Francis Nwaze, the minister said he recently observed that a completed section of the road had been blocked by parked fuel tankers rather than moving traffic.
“Yesterday I was passing through this road, the entire road we have completed was totally blocked… not by moving vehicles but fuel tankers, they parked on the road,” he said.
He stressed that road infrastructure is not designed to endure prolonged static pressure from heavy-duty vehicles.
“No road project anywhere in the world is designed for static loads, they will destroy the road,” he added.
Umahi, however, expressed satisfaction with the pace and quality of work on the Aleto Bridge project and commended President Bola Tinubu for supporting its continuation.
He described the project as a major engineering undertaking featuring concrete pavement technology, solar-powered street lighting, environmental landscaping, and reinforced structural components.
The minister also said the Federal Government plans to use the project as a platform for mentoring young Nigerian engineers under President Tinubu’s mentorship initiative.
“We are making efforts on President Tinubu mentorship programme where young engineers will come and study what we’re doing here. They are our future leaders and it is a technical project to behold,” he said.
On the project timeline, Umahi said one carriageway is expected to be completed before May 25, 2026, while the first phase is projected for completion by August 2026.
“They have promised me that before May 25th that one carriageway of this very innovative construction will be completed and before August the first phase of this project would have been totally completed,” he said.
He added that the second phase of the project, which includes several flyovers and bridges, is also expected to be completed within the year.
Post comments (0)