FERMA banks on COVID-19 intervention fund to fix target of 200 roads
The Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, (FERMA) has embarked on several projects with the COVID-19 intervention fund, with a target to fix two hundred road contracts in stages of deterioration.
According to a statement on the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture website, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Nuruddeen Rafindadi, said some of the intervention projects included the contract for the general maintenance of Jigawa State Border – Katagum – Gamawa road, contract for general maintenance of Bauchi – Kari – Yobe State border road and contract for general maintenance of Bauchi – Tafawa Balewa – Plateau State border road.
Rafindadi, said, “In highway engineering, soils are used either as surface earth structure as in dams and embankments, subsurface foundation materials or combination with other materials in the presence of binder to produce cement and asphalt concrete.
“In most cases, the soil with the required engineering properties is not available near the site of proposed work.
“Sourcing it from far distant locations involves large haulage distance and hence heavy transport cost.
“For economic reasons, therefore, the need to modify the local materials encountered at, or near the site of proposed work becomes necessary; hence, the advent of soil stabilisation.”
The MD FERMA said the work done on the Jigawa State border – Katagum – Gamawa road in Bauchi State was scarification, cutting and patching of potholes, provision of the stone base and priming on failed sections and pavement strengthening with asphalt overlay.
The works done on the Bauchi – Kari–Yobe State border road included the cutting of potholes, scarification of failed sections, provision of ashphaltic concrete wearing course as overlay and potholes and surface dressing of shoulder.
Other roads worked on were the Bauchi – Tafawa Balewa Plateau State Border road, Bauchi–Ningi Jigawa State border road, Ayetoro – Mopa – Isanlu – Jebba – Kwara southbound road in Kogi State, among others.
