Benin-Asaba Expressway: BAECC Seeks Patience, Promises Faster Construction

By Adebola Muili

The Benin-Asaba Expressway Concession Company Limited (BAECC) has appealed to motorists and communities along the corridor to exercise patience, assuring that construction on the 125-kilometre highway would be accelerated as the rainy season recedes.

Chief Executive Officer of BAECC, Samuel Daramola, made the appeal in a statement issued on Sunday, explaining that persistent rainfall and the need to keep the heavily travelled highway open to traffic had affected the pace and sequencing of some construction activities.

Daramola said the company remained committed to delivering the project, while acknowledging the difficulties being experienced by motorists using the corridor.

“We recognise the inconvenience that motorists and communities have experienced, and we do not take their concerns lightly,” he said.

He explained that the project, being executed under a 36-month construction programme, involves extensive reconstruction and expansion works, including earthworks, drainage systems, pavement construction, culverts, traffic management and installation of production facilities.

According to him, substantial work had already been carried out on different sections of the highway, including earthworks and subgrade preparation, drainage and culvert construction, asphalt and binder-course works and carriageway expansion.

Daramola said BAECC had also mobilised asphalt plants, concrete batching plants, paving equipment, concrete mould plants, Wet Mix Macadam plants and other specialised construction equipment to support the project.

He noted that billions of naira in private-sector resources had been committed to equipment, construction plants, materials, logistics and supporting infrastructure.

The BAECC boss said some of the preparatory activities might not be immediately visible to motorists, but remained critical to delivering a durable highway.

“A project of this magnitude is built in stages. Before the travelling public sees kilometres of finished asphalt, there must be drainage, earthworks, pavement preparation, production plants and equipment mobilisation,” Daramola said.

He identified persistent rainfall as a major challenge, noting that saturated ground conditions had affected earthworks, pavement stabilisation and asphalt operations.

Daramola, however, stressed that the rains had affected the sequencing and pace of some activities rather than completely stopping construction.

“Where permanent pavement operations are restricted by rainfall, our teams continue with other engineering activities and palliative interventions,” he said.

He also said reconstruction had been complicated by the need to keep the busy corridor open to thousands of motorists, buses, commercial vehicles and articulated trucks.

According to him, some treated sections had occasionally been reopened earlier than would ordinarily be preferred in order to ease traffic congestion and reduce hardship for road users.

“We are building and managing traffic at the same time,” Daramola said. “There are occasions when engineering considerations would favour keeping a section closed for longer, but the realities facing motorists require us to reopen the road.”

The company said palliative interventions would continue on difficult sections while permanent reconstruction progresses.

Daramola said BAECC was preparing for a major acceleration of permanent construction works from October as weather conditions improve.

He said the dry-season construction window would cover drainage completion, pavement reconstruction, asphalt binder and wearing-course installation, culvert construction and other permanent works across multiple sections.

He added that additional personnel, equipment and construction resources were being mobilised to take advantage of improved weather conditions.

“As the rains recede, Nigerians will see a significant acceleration of permanent works,” he assured.

Daramola urged motorists and host communities to assess the project within its overall construction programme rather than solely by the present difficulties being experienced along the corridor.

“We are not asking anyone to ignore the present difficulties. We recognise them and are addressing them through palliative interventions while building the permanent solution,” he said.

“What we ask for is the time and opportunity to deliver the project within the construction programme. Judge us ultimately by the quality, durability and safety of the highway we deliver.”

BAECC also pledged continued cooperation with the Federal Government, relevant agencies and host communities towards delivering what it described as a safe and reliable highway.

“The road people see during construction is not the road they will see at completion,” Daramola said, urging motorists and communities to exercise “a little more patience” as the company works to complete the project.