As I promised yesterday, here is the answer to our problem. It is now left to the Minister of Works and all the Commissioners of Works at the state level to undertake proper monitoring during the construction process to ensure compliance. No matter the enormity of the rainfall, it cannot penetrate the concrete floor or corrode its base because of the thickness of the asphalt on the ground. Adding to that, the road surface must be higher than the drainage (gutter) so that when it rains, the water will flow easily to the gutter. If the gutters are higher, the rainwater would remain on top of the road, resulting in massive damage and corrosion of the base within a year or two of newly constructed roads.
The truth is that the gutters are never constructed by the contractors to be higher than the road level. That ugly scene develops over time, as a result of the greed and shoddy job done by the contractors, the shallow composition of the asphalt or concrete on the road surface. From observations, the wall around and the base of the gutters are stronger than what you have on the road surface. That is the major reason the gutters could withstand heavy rains and remain intact for many years. So, if the road surface is adequately sand-filled before cement, gravel, coal tar, and asphalt are deposited on the top, our highways and local roads would definitely enjoy a longer lifespan. It is all about the thickness of what you have on top of the road.
Finally, I am writing these recommendations, believing that the Nigerians who are the Minister of Works or the State Governors, as the case may be, would be trusted to enforce monitoring and compliance, will NOT succumb under pressure to financial inducement from contractors handling the projects. We cannot discount that possibility, anyway. However, I think the time has come for every Nigerian to become an enforcer of civil engineering regulatory mechanisms as well as an advocate of global best practices in road matters in light of the national embarrassment that surrounds the Abuja/Lokoja/Auchi/Benin road as well as Lagos Badagry International Highway and the Mile2/Apapa Highway.
The truth is that the gutters are never constructed by the contractors to be higher than the road level. That ugly scene develops over time, as a result of the greed and shoddy job done by the contractors, the shallow composition of the asphalt or concrete on the road surface. From observations, the wall around and the base of the gutters are stronger than what you have on the road surface. That is the major reason the gutters could withstand heavy rains and remain intact for many years. So, if the road surface is adequately sand-filled before cement, gravel, coal tar, and asphalt are deposited on the top, our highways and local roads would definitely enjoy a longer lifespan. It is all about the thickness of what you have on top of the road.
Finally, I am writing these recommendations, believing that the Nigerians who are the Minister of Works or the State Governors, as the case may be, would be trusted to enforce monitoring and compliance, will NOT succumb under pressure to financial inducement from contractors handling the projects. We cannot discount that possibility, anyway. However, I think the time has come for every Nigerian to become an enforcer of civil engineering regulatory mechanisms as well as an advocate of global best practices in road matters in light of the national embarrassment that surrounds the Abuja/Lokoja/Auchi/Benin road as well as Lagos Badagry International Highway and the Mile2/Apapa Highway.
Picture by Nnaemeka Onyejiuwa
A Template, with a But, by the Blogger!
The road, as seen, doesn't have drainage. In a year or two, the roadside will give way due to floodwater, and in the process, erode the base of the thick wall. I strongly advise that contractors or the appropriate government representative state upfront during the contract negotiation that there shouldn't be any untarred ground between the tarred road and the drainage or gutter. That is a common scene at most of the local and major highways in Nigeria. No matter the thickness of the concrete, as seen in the picture below, it will buckle easily if the ground beside it and underneath it is corroded. And that is why it is very important that you must have drainage on all our roads, and at the same time, ensure that there is no area or ground left untarred between the drainage and the tarred road. We must avoid open drainage.
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