THE IMPERATIVE OF RIGID CEMENT TECHNOLOGY IN ROADS CONSTRUCTION IN ABIA.

by Okechukwu Keshi Ukegbu
One of the strong pillars of Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu’s administration is road infrastructure. Before the advent of his administration, roads infrastructure in the state was lying prostrate. But today this sector has witnessed unprecedented revolution which has ensured the completion of over 30 roads and over 20 at different stages of construction.
The outstanding feat Gov. Ikpeazu has recorded in this direction is the construction of some of these roads with the cement technology, which is also known as the”Rigid Pavement Technology”. It is not only that Abia State is pioneering this technology in this part of the country, the critical question is “what is the essence of this technology that attracted Gov. Ikpeazu to it?”.
Cement technology, also known as “Rigid Pavement Technology in road construction, ensures the mixture of crush rock-based materials and other items to achieve a thickness fill and compaction to the level of 300mm. This is followed by a concrete reinforcement cast with 8mm to10mm-high tensil (mash of wires) reinforcement bars over the stabilised base before treating it with prime coat and asphaltic concrete. Though the cost of this technology is higher than those of the conventional construction methods, Gov. Ikpeazu chooses this technology as a means of strengthening the load-bearing capacity of roads in Abia and to boost the strength and quality of the finished work. The technology has a sustainability guarantee of10 to 20 years. Cement technology is one of the technologies used in the construction of airport runways, tarmac and places with heavy loads like machines and equipment. The technology is a good solution for achieving sustainable roads in Nigeria.
There has been recent clamour by professionals and stakeholders alike in the field of structuring engineering for a shift from asphalt road construction to concrete road construction. One of these calls came from the Nigerian Institution of Structural Engineers (INSTRUCTED) during its 28th annual conference in Abuja. Several reasons have been advanced by the proponents to justify their positions. Besides the long life span of concrete roads, they are environmentally friendly. Concrete roads are more environmentally friendly compared to asphalt roads and this reduces the frequent repair or patch works on the concrete roads like asphalt roads.
According to expert positions, while vehicles consume less fuel on concrete roads, concrete roads do not get damaged by the leaking oils from the vehicles or by the extreme weather conditions like excess rain or extreme heat. It has also been observed that the use of concrete for road construction has the added advantage of not creating potholes or craters that cause wet weather accidents.
The desirabilty of rigid cement technology in this season of economic recession cannot be over-emphasised. In the past we witnessed roads constructed that could not last one rainy season. We are currently operating a very harsh economy and it will not be ideal for the government to return to the roads which it has initially constructed before the next rainy season. These reasons and others justify the adoption of the rigid cement technology in some roads constructed in Abia.