FG may scale down concrete road projects over 73% spike in cost

THE GUARDIAN

• ‘Minister ignored concerns raised by contractors, producers’
• Expert alleges malpractices in asphalt road construction

The federal government may have to scale down its plan to adopt concrete technology in road infrastructure nationwide due to the high price of building materials and the prevailing macro and microeconomic climate.

Although a policy guide on concrete road construction has existed, it has not been massively deployed for roads owing to costs and the availability of funds.

Road construction nationwide has been mainly asphalt-based since independence, but the advent of concrete technology offered a new methodology for road development and durability.

Concrete road technology is usually the most expensive option initially. It can cost about two to three times as much as asphalt and about six times the cost of gravel, estimated at $5 to $10 per square foot.

Findings show that the initial cost of the one-kilometre length of the concrete road was as high as N59.18 million per kilometre, while that of the asphalt road was pegged at N49.76 million per kilometre. Asphalt pavement is less by about N9.41 million per kilometre.

However, that quotation on concrete has increased by 73 per cent due to inflation and the rising cost of construction materials.

Despite its gains of lasting longer and durability, there are worries that the country’s cement production capacity will not match demand. With at least 12 registered companies, Nigeria’s cement production capacity is about 58.9 million metric tonnes yearly.

Currently, the price of cement and iron rods, essential ingredients for concrete pavement, is skyrocketing.

A survey of the construction materials market indicates that a 50kg bag of cement sold for N5,000 a year ago when the policy was adopted has increased to between N8,000 to N9,500 country-wide. At the same time, a tonne of reinforcement about N500,000 is now N1,050,000. The cost of sand per 30 tonnes was over N60,000 in some locations, now N160,000.

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