The Federal Government’s budget for road infrastructure may double if the authorities dump asphalt pavement for concrete road technology. This is contrary to estimation that the adoption of the construction technology will reduce the cost of road projects in the short run, according to an investigation by The Guardian.
The Minister of Works, David Umahi, had recently directed all contractors handling Federal Government highways across the country to consider making a choice between using asphalt pavements or adopting concrete technology.
The minister directed contractors handling major projects to meet with engineers in the ministry to redesign some of the ongoing road projects in line with the requirements of concrete technology.
Although there has been a policy guide on concrete road construction, it has not been massively deployed for roads in the country. Road construction across the country has been largely asphalt-based since independence but the advent of concrete technology offered new methodology for road development that may stand the test of time.
Yesterday, the Federal Government handed contractors handling abandoned roads projects a 14-day ultimatum to return to site or face revocation of the contracts. The government also threatened to drag contractors allegedly mounting a gang up against the use of concrete for road construction to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other related offences (ICPC) among others.
The Minister of Works, Umahi spoke after he met behind closed-doors with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The Minister, who said he will not succumb to the gang-up and blackmail from contractors, explained that he has the backing of President Tinubu on the use of concrete in reinforcement.
Briefing newsmen, Umahi said that some contractors have keyed into the policy just as major cement producers have agreed to discount prices for such government road builders. He also highlighted the advantages of cement roads over asphalt/bitumen, including cheaper costs, just as he iterated the need to encourage local production of cement against importation of bitumen.
The asphalt roads last about 15 to 20 years on average, requiring more frequent maintenance, replacement and are often not environment-friendly, while concrete road utilises cement as binding material, composed of lime, rods, silica, alumina, and gypsum, which are mixed with sand, aggregate and water.
Concrete roads come in different kinds depending on the load to be put on it. It can be unreinforced, reinforced concrete and continuously reinforced. Essentially, the type of load to be put on a road determines the type of concrete design specification to deploy.
Checks by The Guardian show that concrete roads are eco-friendlier than asphalt roads. The smoother surface texture of concrete paving reduces rolling resistance compared to rougher asphalt, improving fuel economy by two to five per cent for each vehicle. Concrete roads last between 25 and 30 years without the need for major reconstruction work or repair and lifespan of between 50 to 100 years, which is two to four times longer than asphalt pavement.
Investigations revealed that concrete roads could cost an average of 50 per cent more than asphalt; making concrete a better value for money, while asphalt can run about $4 to $6 per square foot. Concrete road technology is usually the most expensive option initially as it can cost about two to three times as much as asphalt and about six times the gravel cost, estimated at about $5 to $10 per square foot.
The Guardian found out that the initial cost of one kilometre length of concrete road can be as high as N59, 181,594.70 per kilometer, while that of asphalt road is N49, 766,822.68 per kilometre. Asphalt pavement is less by about N9, 414,772.02 per kilometre.
Following the non-exploitation of bitumen resources in the country, road construction with asphalt attracts heavy deployment of imported bitumen from overseas and development of asphalt technology equipment on construction sites.
With the new government’s disposition to concrete road technology, it was gathered that some of the ongoing federal highway projects might be suspended in line with the directive.
Essentially, the Benin-Warri dual carriageway and Benin-Sapele sections 1 to 3 in Delta State, Maraba-Keffi road expansion in Nasarawa State, and Minna-Zungeru-Regina-Kontagora road in Niger State and other projects are been considered for application of concrete technology.
Some of Nigeria’s major construction firms including Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, CCECC Nigeria Limited, Dangote Cement Plc, HITECH construction company, TEC Engineering Company Nigeria Limited, China Harbour Engineering Company, Gilmour Engineering Nigeria Limited, CBC Global Civil & Building Construction, Setraco Nigeria Limited, Decency Associates Limited, and Zephrygold International Limited handling major highway projects have invested heavily in asphalt technology.
Currently, the price of cement and iron rods, which are essential ingredients for concrete pavement, are skyrocketing. A survey of the construction materials market indicates that a 50 kg bag of cement sells between N5, 000 and N5,500, while a ton of reinforcement is about N500, 000. The cost of sand per 30 tons is over N60, 000 in some locations.
There are worries that the production capacity of the country will not match demand for cement. With at least 12 registered companies, Nigeria’s cement production capacity is about 58.9 million Metric tonnes per year. Dangote Cement, which is the largest cement producer, has a combined share of over 28.5 Mt/yr of this capacity.
BUA Cement Plc, which is Nigeria’s second-largest cement producer, had disclosed intention to reduce the country’s cement price by 40 per cement, from the current N5, 500 to between N3, 000 and N3, 500 per bag. However, the retail price of the product remains at N5,200 in major markets.
Chairman of BUA, Abdul Samad Rabiu, pledged its company’s contribution to supporting the efforts of the Federal government to stabilise the prices of essential commodities. The firms’ two new plants are expected to increase BUA Cement’s production capacity to 17 million metric tonnes yearly.
Despite BUA’s intervention, Cement Producers Association of Nigeria has warned that the ongoing plan of the Federal Government to introduce concrete roads will raise the price of cement to N9, 000 per bag from the current price of N5, 000.
It also called on the current administration to permanently address the perennial cement price hike problem by facilitating larger participation in the cement industry, noting that Nigerians have no business buying cement for more than N5, 600 per bag.
The association, in a statement jointly signed by the National Chairman, Prince David Iweta and National Secretary Chief Reagan Ufomba, commended the works Minister’s position on cement-made roads but warned of dire consequences, if the supply end is not addressed properly.
As a solution, the cement producers urged the government to lay more emphasis on road design that allows both cement technology and asphalt pavement to run concurrently and provide ample time for a smooth transition that allows contractors to invest in commensurate and requisite equipment and retooling.
Umahi, has also ruled out the use of laterite in road construction and directed that henceforth contractors should use lumps, sharp sand and stone base to form the base before laying of concrete or asphalt pavement.
The minister argued that laterite has a limited load bearing capacity and is also susceptible to erosion and weathering especially in areas with heavy rainfall, which could lead to degradation of the road surface overtime.
“We are giving very serious attention to the roads between Benin and Warri. The road between Eleme and Onne Port, we are mindful of the site conditions of these roads, the water conditions and the boreholes instead of potholes on these roads. No more laterite; contractors are now to use lumps, sharp sand and stone base in place of laterite”, he said.
Construction industry experts also noted the deployment of concrete technology can spike huge variations in contract, as well as wipe off profits due to the expensive nature of concrete technology and unabated inflationary trend.
Past president of the Nigerian Institution of Structural Engineers (NIStrustE), Dr. Victor Oyenuga, said concrete technology is more expensive because more materials are involved but in terms of durability, “it is far better and beneficial.”
Oyenuga said: “It very easy to maintain if there is any need for maintenance. Once the surface is repaired, you allow it to dry unlike asphalt. When there is a crack on the asphalt, the cracks go down to the laterite under and because the laterite is clay, it flows inside water, the stone-base will depress and eventually, there will be potholes on the road and it becomes a gully.
“Whereas, it is not as easy as that for water to penetrate concrete because high quality concrete is used and there is heavy reinforcement like 16-mm rod and 12-mm rods. The heavier it is reinforced the more difficult for water to penetrate.”
He noted that concrete road technology is not new as the ministry has a highway design/guide manual with a section that deals with concrete pavement for roads, airfields and parking because of the durability.
“By the time we are using concrete technology massively, concrete pavers will be imported and at the end of the day the cost of construction will drop because we will have more machines to do the work,” Oyenuga stated.
Oyenuga said the government could assist contractors by establishing plants and machinery zones in each of the six geo-political zones of the country and investing in main machinery to take off the cost of hiring equipment for road contracts.
A professor of highways and transportation engineering, Olumide Ogundipe, called for proper analysis and research on the immediate and long-term gains.
Ogundipe who doubles as a lecturer in the Civil Engineering Department, Ekiti State University, noted that a peculiar problem with rigid (concrete) pavement is that when it starts to fail, rehabilitating it will cost more as it has more problems than the flexible pavement.
He said: “When you take statistics around the world, what is more popular is the flexible pavement that is constructed with asphalt. There are so many things you have to take into consideration such as cost.”
He further said: “We have a large deposit of bitumen in Nigeria and what the minister should be doing is looking at ways to exploit them. Presently a bag of cement is around N5, 000 and reinforcement steels are also not cheap.
“Most of the roads the minister is referring to are federal roads, which are ‘Trunk A roads’. The speed on them is 100km per hour and mostly expressway. With asphalt pavement, they are usually constructed with two layers; the binder course and the main course because of the loads coming on them. Therefore, they are going to reinforce or continuously reinforce concrete technology. I don’t know if the government considers that.’
Umahi further warned contractors against the dodgy attitude of securing about 20 projects but end up deploying as few as two units of equipment to site. He said, “There are some elements within that are also fighting me, who are also benefitting from the system and that is the greatest problem we have and I just pretended. I will flush those elements out and send them to ICPC to handle them because nobody can hold this country to ransom.”
From Southwest to East, North and South-South, road conditions are not in a desirable state. With an estimated 193,200 kilometres of roads, the Federal Government is in charge of about 34,000km, leaving the rest to states and local governments. However, the three levels of government have not been exceptional in giving the best of roads to Nigerians.
Within the period of 24 years over N2.4 trillion has reportedly been spent on road construction. The sum of N301.8b was allocated for road construction in 2016, N347.5 billion in 2017, N159.5b in 2018, N262b in 2019, N315.5b in 2020 for works and housing, N241.864b in 2021, N280 billion for road infrastructure in 2022 and N356b for both works and housing out of which N321b was budgeted for capital projects in 2023.
Despite the spending, debts for payments for road contracts are mounting. The present administration owes contractors about N14 trillion for 2,604 roads of 18,000 kilometres, which was inherited from the last administration, there are fears that the budget for road infrastructure may double.
The Minister of works, David Umahi, explained that since assuming office, the ministry has paid N4 trillion of the N14 trillion owed to contractors constructing various road projects nationwide. Umahi said: “Between when we came on board and now, about N4tn has been paid. And so that is a balance of N10tn remaining.”
The traditional asphalt pavement roads construction methodology consists of sand, and bitumen; where bitumen acts as a liquid binding material that holds asphalt together.
The minister argued that laterite has a limited load bearing capacity and is also susceptible to erosion and weathering especially in areas with heavy rainfall, which could lead to degradation of the road surface overtime.
“We are giving very serious attention to the roads between Benin and Warri. The road between Eleme and Onne Port, we are mindful of the site conditions of these roads, the water conditions and the boreholes instead of potholes on these roads. No more laterite; contractors are now to use lumps, sharp sand and stone base in place of laterite”, he said.
Ogundipe observed that operators in building sector are already bewildered by high cost of cement and other materials, adding that more demand for cement and reinforcement by the road construction firms in large quantities, will trigger increase demand for cement, which will make the price to double and spring up ripple effects in housing sector.
“Concrete roads can be cheaper in Greece but may not be the same thing in Nigeria. You have to consider the environmental conditions of the area where you want to use the technology. We are in a temperate region, once you have pavement with cracks, there could be problems,” he said.
On how much the shift from asphalt to concrete technology will impact the budget, he disclosed that it is dependent on the design of the kilometres of roads to be constructed based on loads that will come on it, adding that the condition of design varies from place to place.
Past Chairman, Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) Apapa branch, Sunny Ejeje, explained that the comparative analysis between flexible and rigid pavements in terms of construction is that flexible (asphalt) pavement is much easier to construct in terms of elements involved, while rigid pavement requires more elements.
According to him, rigid pavements are more expensive, within the range of 20 per cent or more, depending on some design specification and terrain Ejeje said there will be variation in projects. “Variation is a function of change in scope or specification, and all these transcend to naira and kobo. Definitely, there would be cost implications for any form of variation,” he said.
Construction industry experts also noted the deployment of concrete technology can spike huge variations in contract, as well as wipe off profits due to the expensive nature of concrete technology and unabated inflationary trend.
Past president of the Nigerian Institution of Structural Engineers (NIStrustE), Dr. Victor Oyenuga, said concrete technology is more expensive because more materials are involved but in terms of durability, “it is far better and beneficial.”
Oyenuga said: “It very easy to maintain if there is any need for maintenance. Once the surface is repaired, you allow it to dry unlike asphalt. When there is a crack on the asphalt, the cracks go down to the laterite under and because the laterite is clay, it flows inside water, the stone-base will depress and eventually, there will be potholes on the road and it becomes a gully.
“Whereas, it is not as easy as that for water to penetrate concrete because high quality concrete is used and there is heavy reinforcement like 16-mm rod and 12-mm rods. The heavier it is reinforced the more difficult for water to penetrate.”
He noted that concrete road technology is not new as the ministry has a highway design/guide manual with a section that deals with concrete pavement for roads, airfields and parking because of the durability.
“By the time we are using concrete technology massively, concrete pavers will be imported and at the end of the day the cost of construction will drop because we will have more machines to do the work,” Oyenuga stated.
Oyenuga said the government could assist contractors by establishing plants and machinery zones in each of the six geo-political zones of the country and investing in main machinery to take off the cost of hiring equipment for road contracts.
A professor of highways and transportation engineering, Olumide Ogundipe, called for proper analysis and research on the immediate and long-term gains.
Ogundipe who doubles as a lecturer in the Civil Engineering Department, Ekiti State University, noted that a peculiar problem with rigid (concrete) pavement is that when it starts to fail, rehabilitating it will cost more as it has more problems than the flexible pavement.
He said: “When you take statistics around the world, what is more popular is the flexible pavement that is constructed with asphalt. There are so many things you have to take into consideration such as cost.”
He further said: “We have a large deposit of bitumen in Nigeria and what the minister should be doing is looking at ways to exploit them. Presently a bag of cement is around N5, 000 and reinforcement steels are also not cheap.
“Most of the roads the minister is referring to are federal roads, which are ‘Trunk A roads’. The speed on them is 100km per hour and mostly expressway. With asphalt pavement, they are usually constructed with two layers; the binder course and the main course because of the loads coming on them. Therefore, they are going to reinforce or continuously reinforce concrete technology. I don’t know if the government considers that.’
