Benin-Asaba Expressway: BAECC Assures Motorists of Accelerated Construction From October

Benin-Asaba Expressway: BAECC Assures Motorists of Accelerated Construction From October

The Benin-Asaba Expressway Concession Company Limited (BAECC) has appealed to motorists and communities along the 125-kilometre Benin-Asaba Expressway to exercise patience, assuring that permanent construction works on the highway will accelerate from October as the rainy season recedes.

The Chief Executive Officer of BAECC, Samuel Daramola, made the appeal in a statement on Sunday, acknowledging the difficulties motorists have faced as reconstruction continues on the heavily trafficked corridor.

Daramola said the concessionaire remained committed to delivering the project while taking measures to minimise disruptions to motorists during construction.

“We recognise the inconvenience that motorists and communities have experienced, and we do not take their concerns lightly,” he 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 and involves extensive reconstruction and expansion works, including earthworks, drainage systems, pavement construction, culverts, traffic management and the installation of production facilities.

According to BAECC, significant work has 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 said it had also mobilised asphalt plants, concrete batching plants, paving equipment, concrete mould plants, Wet Mix Macadam plants and other specialised construction machinery to support the project.

BAECC said billions of naira in private-sector resources had been committed to equipment, construction plants, materials, logistics and supporting infrastructure.

Daramola explained that some of the preparatory activities may not be immediately apparent to road users but are essential to the delivery 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 construction

The concessionaire identified persistent rainfall as one of the major challenges affecting the current phase of the project.

It explained that saturated ground conditions had affected the pace and sequencing of earthworks, pavement stabilisation and asphalt operations.

Daramola, however, stressed that construction activities had not stopped, noting that the weather had only restricted some permanent pavement operations.

“Where permanent pavement operations are restricted by rainfall, our teams continue with other engineering activities and palliative interventions,” he said.

BAECC also noted that the reconstruction had been complicated by the need to keep the busy highway open to thousands of motorists, including buses, commercial vehicles and articulated trucks.

The company said it had, on some occasions, reopened treated sections earlier than engineering considerations would ordinarily require 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.”

Palliative works to continue

BAECC said it would continue with palliative interventions on difficult sections of the expressway to reduce the immediate hardship experienced by road users while permanent reconstruction progresses.

“Our immediate task is to reduce the inconvenience being experienced today while remaining focused on the permanent solution,” Daramola said.

The company said it was preparing for a significant acceleration of permanent construction works from October, when improved weather conditions are expected to provide a wider construction window.

The accelerated programme will include drainage completion, pavement reconstruction, asphalt binder and wearing-course installation, culvert construction and other permanent works across multiple sections of the expressway.

BAECC added that additional personnel, equipment and construction resources were being mobilised ahead of the dry-season construction period.

“As the rains recede, Nigerians will see a significant acceleration of permanent works,” Daramola assured.

BAECC seeks patience

Daramola urged motorists and host communities to assess the project within the context of its overall construction programme rather than solely by the current difficulties associated with the reconstruction.

“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 collaboration with the Federal Government, relevant agencies and host communities, stressing that all stakeholders shared the objective of delivering a safe, reliable and durable 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.”