FG to complete Oshodi/Apapa rehabilitation in November

Why asphalt on concrete is not feasible by official
When the Federal Government entered into partnership with Dangote Group to commence the second phase of the reconstruction of the ever-busy Apapa-Mile 2-Oshodi Expressway, motorists and commuters heaved a sigh of relief. And because the reconstruction work commenced almost immediately, road users expected happy days ahead.

The 35 kilometers road linking Apapa Tincan port, Oshodi, Oworonshoki up to Ojota is being constructed via a public private partnership (PPP) was proposed at the initial cost of N73 billion.

As part of the bargain the company was given a 10-year-tax rebate.

Due to heavy traffic and axle load on the axis, the design was made to have iron rods as reinforcements for strength, instead of normal asphalted roads.

Some section of the expressway was reinforced with 200mm concrete to make it last for a minimum of 40 years.

The four-lane expressway with two service lanes parallel to the expressway, stretches from Apapa Tincan port to the old toll gate at Ojota.

The Expressway is very important to the Federal Government and Lagos State as it connects the nation’s busiest seaports (Apapa Wharf and TinCan) and the ever-busy Murtala Muhammed International Airport.

However, despite the remarkable progress made on the reconstruction by Hitech Construction Company Limited on behalf of Dangote, there are expectations that the road will be dressed with asphalt on the concrete.

But a senior official of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, who spoke in confidence, said the big problem with laying asphalt over concrete has to do with the initial preparation of the site.

“With concrete, if you’re concerned about strength and stability, the solution is to simply lay a thicker slab. Because of this, contractors laying concrete rarely worry about preparing the base.

“The ground underneath a concrete driveway may be prone to shifting or sinking, and there’s really no way of knowing what’s down there until it’s dug up.

“Laying asphalt over concrete. The unprepared sub base and the concrete itself creates two layers to worry about: “If something is wrong with either of these layers, it will show through the asphalt.

“Unfortunately, when asphalt driveways are poured over concrete resting on an unstable base, the resulting asphalt pour is prone to instability.

“Also, expansion joints in the concrete will quickly turn into cracks in the asphalt, which will require costly ongoing repair jobs.

“In extreme cases, shifts in the ground could crack the entire surface, just as a house’s foundation may crack if improperly laid. Also pouring asphalt over concrete is bad for the longevity of the driveway.”

According to the official, pouring asphalt over concrete may look good at first, but there are bound to be troubles over time. It just doesn’t make fiscal sense to do it, as that driveway will need a lot more work in the near future.

“Asphalt driveways last longer and look better when they are built from the ground up. The new asphalt driveway will have a proper, stable base, and therefore will require less maintenance as time goes on, saving money in the long run.

“There are some instances, where concrete and asphalt work well together, such as curbs and edges. But generally, they work better side by side rather than one on top of the other,” the officials added.

The acting Controller, Work Section, Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Forosola Oloyede, said: “ By the grace of God the rehabilitation of Oshodi/Apapa Expressway will be completed by November 2022. The completion date was July initially, but by all indications the date is not feasible.

“The work going on now is just rehabilitation so there won’t be new bus stops because there are already existing ones. Just as it is in the construction plan, the road will be lit by street lights.”