Concrete roads are cheaper, safer, stronger, AG-Dangote reiterates

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

Dangote Group’s Executive Director, Stakeholders Management and Corporate Communications, Mr. Ahmed Mansur, led the delegation of the Dangote Group to this year’s Engineering Assembly of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) in Abuja with the theme: “The Nigerian Built Industry: Building a Sustainable Structure with Allied Professionals.”

Project Manager of AG-Dangote, Mr. Tunde Jimoh, who made the appeal at the COREN assembly, said the maximum lifecycle of flexible pavement, known as Asphalt road, is about 20 years.

Jimoh, who added that the lifecycle of a rigid pavement or concrete road is 40 years or more, said: “The pavement type chosen depends on a number of factors which include expected traffic wheel loads, load repetitions, cost of construction, maintenance and so on.”

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 43km concrete road project due to be commissioned in December.

He said the 24km Itori-Ibese concrete road had since been delivered and that the firm is also 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.”

Besides, he said the cost of maintenance of asphalt roads is higher four to seven times than concrete roads.

He, however, said the challenge with rigid pavement construction is that of locally-sourced competency of labour force.