Minister of Works, David Umahi, says the ministry under his watch will construct a flyover as a permanent solution to end the perennial flooding on the Abuja-Lokoja highway.
David Umahi stated this on Tuesday during his tour to inspect ongoing construction works on the Abuja-Lokoja road a day after his inauguration into office.
The minister, alongside the Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello and some directors in the ministry, visited some work sites on the road.
According to Umahi, the Abuja-Lokoja road is a major gateway that links the southwest, south-south and southeast regions to the Federal Capital Territory and the country’s northern parts.
He said priority should be given to it because of its critical role in the country’s socio-economic life.
Umahi said, “We have seen the area that always gets flooded at the Koton Karfe section and the only solution to it is to do a flyover on it to fly above the flood level. That will really work because it is about 1.6 kilometres which will take five flyovers, you know, multiplied by two.
“So we are going to be making a proposal and submit to Mr President to give us his nod because we are looking for permanent solutions to our problems.”
Nevertheless, the minister encouraged the contractors responsible for the road project to utilise concrete, and mentioned that there would be an assessment and modification of the road agreements.
He pledged to provide concrete roads throughout the nation, asserting that they possessed greater longevity, with the potential to endure for up to 50 years, and furthermore, they incurred minimal maintenance requirements.
