The Benin-Asaba Expressway Concession Company Limited (BAECC) has appealed to motorists and communities along the corridor to exercise patience as it prepares to accelerate construction works on the 125-kilometre highway following the rainy season.
The Chief Executive Officer of BAECC, Samuel Daramola, in a statement, said the company remained committed to delivering the project despite persistent rainfall and the challenges associated with reconstructing a heavily travelled highway while keeping it open to traffic.
“We recognise the inconvenience that motorists and communities have experienced, and we do not take their concerns lightly,” Daramola said.
“Our responsibility is not only to build the permanent road but also to do everything reasonably possible to keep people moving while construction is taking place.”
The project is being executed under a 36-month construction programme covering extensive reconstruction and expansion, earthworks, drainage systems, pavement construction, culverts, traffic management and the installation of production facilities.
BAECC said significant work had already been carried out across various sections of the highway, including earthworks and subgrade preparation, drainage and culvert construction, asphalt and binder-course works, as well as carriageway expansion.
The company has also mobilised asphalt plants, concrete batching plants, paving equipment, concrete mould plants, Wet Mix Macadam plants and other specialised construction equipment to support the project.
According to BAECC, billions of naira in private-sector resources have been committed to equipment, construction plants, materials, logistics and other supporting infrastructure.
Daramola explained that much of the preparatory work may not be immediately visible to motorists but remains essential to the construction of a durable highway.
“A project of this magnitude is built in stages. Before the travelling public sees kilometres of finished asphalt, there must be drainage, earthworks, pavement preparation, production plants and equipment mobilisation,” he said.
Rainfall Slows Some Construction Activities
BAECC identified persistent rainfall as one of the major challenges affecting the current phase of construction, noting that saturated ground conditions had affected earthworks, pavement stabilisation and asphalt operations.
Daramola, however, stressed that the rainfall had affected the sequencing and pace of some activities rather than bringing construction to a halt.
“Where permanent pavement operations are restricted by rainfall, our teams continue with other engineering activities and palliative interventions,” he said.
The company said reconstruction had also been complicated by the need to keep the busy corridor open to thousands of motorists, buses, commercial vehicles and articulated trucks.
BAECC explained that it had, on some occasions, reopened treated sections earlier than would ordinarily be preferred in order to ease traffic congestion.
“We are building and managing traffic at the same time,” Daramola said.
“There are occasions when engineering considerations would favour keeping a section closed for longer, but the realities facing motorists require us to reopen the road.”
Permanent Works to Accelerate From October
The concessionaire said palliative interventions would continue on difficult sections to reduce hardship for motorists while permanent reconstruction progresses.
“Our immediate task is to reduce the inconvenience being experienced today while remaining focused on the permanent solution,” Daramola said.
BAECC said it was preparing for a major acceleration of permanent construction works from October as weather conditions improve.
The programme is expected to include drainage completion, pavement reconstruction, asphalt binder and wearing-course installation, culvert construction and other permanent works across multiple sections of the highway.
Additional personnel, equipment and construction resources are also being mobilised to take advantage of the dry-season construction window.
“As the rains recede, Nigerians will see a significant acceleration of permanent works,” Daramola said.
BAECC Appeals for Patience
Daramola appealed to motorists and host communities to view the project within its overall construction programme rather than judge it solely by the difficulties currently being experienced.
“We are not asking anyone to ignore the present difficulties. We recognise them and are addressing them through palliative interventions while building the permanent solution,” he said.
“What we ask for is the time and opportunity to deliver the project within the construction programme. Judge us ultimately by the quality, durability and safety of the highway we deliver.”
BAECC also pledged continued cooperation with the Federal Government, relevant agencies and host communities, saying all stakeholders share the objective of delivering a safe and reliable highway.
“The road people see during construction is not the road they will see at completion,” Daramola said.
“We ask for a little more patience and the opportunity to complete what we have started.”
