The Federal Government has been urged to establish weigh bridges on federal highways and major roads across the country to prevent the frequent collapse of roads and economic waste.

The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) gave the advice in Port Harcourt yesterday during a one-day stakeholders sensitisation forum for the maritime sector and manufacturers, expressing concern over the constant incidences of dilapidated roads across Nigeria. The agency linked the development to a lack of ‘weighbridges’.

Weighbridge is a truck scale facility used to weigh heavy vehicles and their loads. It is a type of electric circuit that regulates the weight of trucks and restricts trucks with high-capacity loads to plying certain routes.

The Head of the National Metrology Institute of SON, Dr Samuel Ayuba, who spoke on the theme, “Aligning Business Practices with Nigeria’s Trade Policies for Sustainable Growth,” regretted that the lack of weighbridge is increasing the nation’s economic waste.

According to Ayuba, roads are designed to carry specific loads, and exceeding those limits can lead to premature wear and tear.

Ayuba said: “This is problematic in Nigeria, where roads are not equipped with weigh-bridges to regulate the weight of trucks. Countries like Germany have implemented the weigh-bridge system to ensure that trucks do not overload roads.”