The Edo State Government has attributed the slow pace of repairs and reconstruction on major roads linking the state to incessant rainfall, assuring residents and motorists that work would resume fully once the weather improves.
The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Prince Kassim Afegbua, stated this in a press statement while responding to concerns over the condition of major entry and exit roads across the state.
Afegbua said roads linking Edo State from various entry points had been awarded to contractors for repairs or reconstruction, but persistent rainfall had hampered the progress of work.
He cited the Benin-Ore Road, Benin-Agbor Road and Benin-Warri Road as some of the major projects affected by the rains.
According to him, the Benin-Agbor Road is undergoing reconstruction under a concession arrangement that will eventually deliver a 10-lane road, while the Benin-Ore Road is currently experiencing a temporary halt in construction because of heavy rainfall.
The commissioner said Governor Monday Okpebholo had, upon assumption of office, identified road infrastructure as a major area of intervention, noting that several roads abandoned by the previous administration had received attention.
He particularly cited the Benin-Irrua Road, which he said was restored through remediation works within two months of the governor’s assumption of office.
Afegbua also noted that the administration had invested in other link roads across the state and constructed a flyover at the Ramat Park end of the Benin-Agbor Road.
He appealed to residents and motorists to bear with the government, assuring that construction activities would be accelerated as soon as the rains subside.
“We share in the pains of our people and are deeply concerned by the reality of the present state of our roads,” the commissioner said, adding that the government remained committed to rebuilding critical infrastructure across Edo State.
