The Federal Government, through the Federal Road Maintenance Agency has commenced maintenance and repair works on 32 kilometres of roads in Bauchi State to improve safety ahead of the rainy season.
The Federal Road Maintenance Engineer for Bauchi Field Office, Nanpan Joroh, confirmed this in an interview stating that the government remains committed to ensuring safer roads, especially during festive periods.
Joroh explained that the road maintenance works were part of the 2024 budget and, despite initial delays by contractors, most of the projects are nearing completion.
“Presently, we have three contractors working on various sites in Bauchi State. The major one is the Bauchi-Jos road, which is almost 100 per cent complete. The project covers 20 kilometres towards the Plateau State border, and the road is now pothole-free with several overlays done,” he said.
Another project is ongoing along the Bauchi-Gombe road, covering about five kilometres around Alkaleri town. According to Joroh, significant patching and long stretches of repairs have been carried out to improve the road, which was in poor condition.
“The contractors are making the road pothole-free to ensure smooth movement for road users. This particular project is about 50 per cent complete,” he added.
Joroh further stated that work is in progress on the Kari-Yana road near the Jigawa State border, where potholes are being patched. He noted that a critical section of the road was almost washed away, and urgent interventions were underway to prevent complete road failure during the rainy season.
“The contractor is currently working on retaining walls, backfilling, and concrete protection to stabilise the road and prevent washouts,” he said.
Expressing satisfaction with the pace of work, Joroh said the ongoing projects should be completed within the next month.
He also urged FERMA’s management to approve proposals for repairing additional washout-prone areas affected by last year’s rainy season to prevent further road deterioration before the 2025 rains set in.
