Concrete Road Cheaper, Safer, Stronger, Says Dangote

Jonathan Eze

The AG-Dangote construction company has urged engineers and governments at all levels to switch over to rigid pavement for road construction, saying it is more affordable, durable, safer and stronger.

A representative of the AG-Dangote, Tunde Jimoh, who made the appeal at the ongoing Engineering Assembly of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) sunday in Abuja said the maximum life cycle of flexible pavements known as Asphalt road is about 20 years.

Dangote Group’s Executive Director, Stakeholders Management and Corporate Communications, Ahmed Mansur, led the delegation of the Dangote Group at this year’s Engineering Assembly with the theme: “The Nigerian Built Industry: Building a Sustainable Structure with Allied Professionals.”

Jimoh added that the life cycle of a rigid pavement or concrete road is 40 years or more.
He said: “The pavement type chosen depends on a number of factors which includes, expected traffic wheel loads, load repetitions, cost of construction, maintenance, etc.”

He said the AG Dangote is currently constructing the longest concrete road in the country located in Kogi State. The Obajana-Kabba road, he added, is a 43 kilometre concrete road project due to be inaugurated in December.
He said the 24 kilometre Itori-Ibese concrete road has since been delivered.

Jimoh who is the company’s Project Manager, said it is set to deliver the dual carriage Apapa Wharf Road in Lagos this month.

According to him, “This vision of the development of Concrete roads in Africa is being shared by more leaders and governments. The implementation of concrete roads can revolutionise infrastructural development in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.”

He added that the cost of maintenance of asphalt roads is higher four to seven times than concrete roads, saying the raw material for concrete can be locally sourced.