By Fanayajo Ranti Margaret
The Benin-Asaba Expressway Concession Company Limited (BAECC) has appealed to motorists and communities along the Benin-Asaba corridor to exercise patience, assuring that construction activities on the 125-kilometre highway will receive a major boost as the rainy season subsides.
Chief Executive Officer of BAECC, Samuel Daramola, made the appeal in a statement on the ongoing reconstruction of the expressway, explaining that the company remained committed to delivering a durable and safer highway despite the challenges posed by persistent rainfall and the need to keep the heavily travelled road open to traffic.
Daramola acknowledged the inconvenience being experienced by motorists and residents along the corridor, stressing that the company understood their concerns.
> “We recognise the inconvenience that motorists and communities have experienced, and we do not take their concerns lightly,” he said.
According to him, BAECC’s responsibility goes beyond reconstructing the highway to ensuring that traffic continues to move while the permanent works are being executed.
The project, which is being delivered under a 36-month construction programme, involves extensive reconstruction and expansion works, including earthworks, drainage systems, culverts, pavement construction, carriageway expansion, traffic management and the installation of production facilities.
BAECC said significant progress had already been recorded across various sections of the expressway, with work undertaken on earthworks and subgrade preparation, drainage and culvert construction, asphalt and binder-course works as well as carriageway expansion.
The concessionaire also disclosed that it had mobilised asphalt plants, concrete batching plants, paving equipment, concrete mould plants, Wet Mix Macadam plants and other specialised machinery required for the project.
According to the company, billions of naira in private-sector resources have been committed to equipment, construction plants, materials, logistics and other supporting infrastructure.
Daramola explained that some of the critical work being undertaken may not be immediately visible to road users but remains essential to delivering a permanent 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 Operations
BAECC identified persistent rainfall as one of the major challenges affecting the current phase of the project, noting that saturated ground conditions had impacted earthworks, pavement stabilisation and asphalt operations.
Daramola, however, clarified that the rains 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 the reconstruction had also been complicated by the need to keep the busy corridor operational for thousands of motorists, buses, commercial vehicles and articulated trucks daily.
BAECC explained that some treated sections had occasionally been reopened earlier than engineering considerations would ordinarily require in order to ease traffic congestion and reduce hardship for road users.
> “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.”
The company assured motorists that palliative interventions would continue on difficult sections as permanent reconstruction progresses.
> “Our immediate task is to reduce the inconvenience being experienced today while remaining focused on the permanent solution,” Daramola added.
Major Construction Acceleration Planned for October
BAECC said it was preparing for a significant acceleration of permanent construction works from October as weather conditions improve.
The planned dry-season activities will include completion of drainage works, pavement reconstruction, asphalt binder and wearing-course installation, culvert construction and other permanent works across multiple sections of the expressway.
The company said additional personnel, equipment and construction resources were also being mobilised to maximise the dry-season construction window.
Daramola assured Nigerians that the impact of the accelerated construction programme would become increasingly visible as the rains recede.
> “As the rains recede, Nigerians will see a significant acceleration of permanent works,” he said.
He urged motorists and host communities to assess the project within the context of its overall construction programme rather than solely by the present difficulties being experienced along the corridor.
> “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,” Daramola 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 further pledged continued collaboration with the Federal Government, relevant agencies and host communities, stressing that all stakeholders share a common objective of delivering a safe, reliable and durable highway.
Daramola said the challenges being experienced during construction should be viewed against the long-term benefits expected from the completed project.
“The road people see during construction is not the road they will see at completion,” he said. “We ask for a little more patience and the opportunity t
o complete what we have started.”