The Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration in Edo State has constructed over seven hundred (700km) kilometres of internal roads since inception.
The state Commissioner for Roads and Bridges, Engr. Ethan Uzamere, disclosed this during an interactive session with newsmen in Benin on Thursday.
He said people who say the present government has not done much in road construction make such accusations just because the roads constructed by the government are probably not in their right of way.
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He said: “We have done more than 700 kilometres of internal roads since inception. But if these internal roads are not in your right of way how would you know. We just concluded the Second Ugbor Road, but if this road is not in your right of way you will not have an idea. We are on the verge of completing Forestry Road, but if your right of way is not there you can’t know. We have many to list, but that will be made known in our media project.
“So, It is unfair to say the state government is doing nothing as regards road construction. I must say that as a state, based on the budget given to us, we are doing a lot of internal roads.”
The Commissioner who lamented that cost of raw materials for road construction have gone up astronomically, however, maintained that roads in the state must be done to specification so that it can stand the test of time.
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Uzamere used the opportunity to call on the Federal Government to concentrate more of its road infrastructural projects to the state because of its peculiarity.
According to him, the call becomes necessary due to the strategic location of the state.
He said being a major gateway to many parts of the country, the volume of vehicles, especially the articulated ones, is bound to be high, resulting in the wearing and tearing of the roads in the state.
On Benin-Agbor Road, he said a consensus agreement has been reached between the Federal Government and the state government on its rehabilitation, assuring that work will soon commence on the road.
The Commissioner, while noting that the state government is carrying out palliative measures on several federal roads, added: “Delta State is part of the consensus. Rehabilitation of the road is going to take off any moment from now. We are presently doing some designs of the road. We already have the finance to get it done.”