Delta Suspends Road Rehabilitation Work over Poor Quality

Agency Report

The Delta State Government has ordered the suspension of the rehabilitation work on the triple cell box culvert at the Old Lagos By-pass, linking the Benin-Onitsha Expressway through the Okpanam Junction, Asaba.

The Commissioner for Works, Urban and Highways, Noel Omodon, announced the suspension on Friday during an inspection of the project.

Omodon condemned the “poor quality” of work by the contractor and directed him to stop work forthwith and evacuate all the precast drains from the site.

He explained that the quality of the concrete might not withstand the weight of the vehicles that would ply the route and directed the contractor to liaise with the Directorate of Project Monitoring to conduct a hammer test on the work done.

The commissioner said “I have cause to interrogate the quality of work being done by the contractor to see if he has got everything right because the governor has no tolerance for failure.

“He wants the people to get quality and sufficient service and benefit.”

He pointed out that the essence of the project is to ensure that all the water coming from the Okpanam axis was channelled to the other side of the road through the natural waterway.

According to him, “It is about storm water and erosion control to stop the water that normally gathers on the road when it rains, causing unnecessary buildup on the express road at Okpanam Junction on the Benin-Onitsha Expressway.”