By Abasi Ita. Calabar
Relief is underway for motorists and commuters plying the deplorable Calabar – Itu road, a major access route linking Cross River to the rest of the country as construction giants, Julius Berger and Sermatech are set to return to site for resumption of construction activities.
The development followed the interventions embarked upon by the Minister of Works, Engr. Dave Umahi and Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River towards addressing nitty issues that stalled the progress of construction work, compelling the contractors to abandon the site since last year.
The Acting Controller, Federal Ministry of Works in Cross River state, Engr. Mrs Adebisi Osim who made the disclosure in Calabar revealed that;” In the interim, emergency palliative measures are currently underway to avert traffic jams to ameliorate the sufferings of road users along the route”
Engr Osim was speaking when she played host to a group known as Cross River South Consultative Forum during a courtesy visit to her office.
According to her” I am glad to announce that Julius Berger and Sematech are returning to the site to resume construction works at both ends of the Calabar – Itu – Ikot Ekpene road. The various issues that stalled further execution of the contract have been sorted out. Accordingly, once the rains subside, both contractors are returning to the site to commence work simultaneously’
” This is due to the peculiar priority attention accorded to the project by our boss, the Minister of Works, Engr. Dave Umahi, bolstered by the interest of Governor Bassey Otu who has waded in to handle the issue of compensation which was a major factor
Meanwhile, the federal government has approved the variation cost of the Calabar Itu road from N79,649 billion to N118,412 billion owing to the prevailing cost of materials.
This followed the decision of the Federal Executive Council, FEC, which approved a total sum of N42.4 billion to handle variation costs for three federal roads in the country.
Minister of Works, Dave Umahi stated this while addressing State House correspondents, at the end of the Council meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu at the State House, Abuja.
According to Umahi: “Today in FEC we have three approvals for review of ongoing projects, the first one was the review for the construction of Umulungbe – Umuoka road in Enugu state. It was approved for review from N6.245B – N8.85Billion about 2.6 billion addition.
“We had the review of the repair of Igamu bridge in Lagos State reviewed from 1.16B – 2.229billion. The last one was the approval dualization of the Calabar to Odukpani roads to Itu road in Cross River State.
“It was changed from flexible pavement to rejig pavement, dualized with improved soft structure engagement. It is reviewed from 79.649 billion to 118.412 billion.
“There is also approval for the immediate procurement of full rehabilitation of the road in Katsina State that is the road on the Katsina – Dustseman-Maraban road in Katsina State and it is approved for immediate procurement.
“Let me announce that the 330 emergency repairs of roads and bridges across the country valued at over 500 billion is about 80 percent completed and the ministry of finance has fully released 300 billion for the projects and we are going to publish by next week full details and the level of completion.
“Also the Abuja to Kano, the Lagos to Ibadan and the Second Niger Bridge, the Abuja to Kano has been dismembered into three with two for Dangote and BUA and the other by Julius Berger and Berger has moved back to the site and the other tax credit contractors have been mobilized by next week.”