FG STARTS WORK ON THE OVIA BRIDGE AND OTHER EDO BRIDGES.

The Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) has started maintenance work to restore the Benin – Shagamu Expressway’s failing sections, apparently in response to the carnage that has occurred along that axis in recent years.

Based on the approval of the Acting Managing Director of FERMA Chimezie Amos, the Federal Road Maintenance Engineer in Edo State, Engr. Muktar Abdulrahim, claimed that the agency had successfully addressed the problem of punching failure on the edge of the bridge at Isoko camp, a notorious location known for causing traffic congestion.

“The failure on the deck has been reinstated, and we are waiting for the end of the concrete curing period before it can be used again,” he remarked. We make a plea through this medium for patience from drivers and other road users as the concrete cures.

Before confronting the failures themselves, Abdulrahim stated the organization would deal with the root reasons. The main cause of these failures, according to our observations, is obstructed water conduits, which cause water to collect on the road. In order to fix this, we are actively desilting already-existing lined drains and building new ones to ensure appropriate drainage.

In order to prevent water from gathering and causing the road to deteriorate, we additionally unclog weep holes at the Ovia bridge and install water channels at the bridge approach. After these preventive measures are put into place, we will focus on fixing the mistakes. We are certain that the resulting improvements will withstand the test of time by addressing the underlying issues and then carrying out the required repairs,” he said.

The squad has also relocated to the Okada region, where a water pond has made a stretch unusable for drivers, Abdulrahim pointed out.

Recall that the FERMA representatives had been called by the Edo State House of Assembly to address the deteriorating road conditions, which not only caused traffic jams but also car accidents.

Abdulrahim said that the agency has prioritized repairs based on the severity of the problems for other poor stretches of federal roads in Edo.

In the near future, he predicted, “we will expand our efforts to other roads to start necessary maintenance.”