The Bauchi office of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), on Tuesday, said it had awarded an additional contract for the general rehabilitation of a 96-kilometer highway in the state.

Mr. Nanpang Joroh, the road Maintenance Engineer in charge of Bauchi State, who disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said the maintenance was from Kari-Yana, up to the state’s boundary with Jigawa.

Joroh said the contract was awarded to Hadar Technologies, an Abuja-based contracting firm, adding that the company was expected to complete the project within six months.

He said the contractual specifications of the project included, pavement strengthening, asphalt overlay of damaged portions of the road, and repair of failed sections, especially the road shoulders.

According to him, the ongoing repairs of the 97 kilometers Bauchi to Ningi highway, which involved asphalt overlay of the damaged portions, construction of damaged culverts, and lined drains, has reached 70 percent completion.

“The road is now potholes free, and motorists will now enjoy free passage without experiencing hardships like in the past; we are always committed to taking proactive measures on our roads,’’ he said.

The engineer explained that the ongoing rehabilitation of the 47 kilometers Bauchi-Tafawa Balewa to Plateau State boundary, had also reached 50 percent completion level, adding that FERMA would continue to ensure the safety of road users.

Joroh commended the contractors handling the projects for executing the contracts in accordance with the stipulated guidelines and contractual specifications.

“All the contracts were awarded in December 2020 and are expected to be completed by May 2021.

NAN reports that FERMA in the state, recently awarded a contract for the rehabilitation of 274 kilometers of highways in Bauchi to enhance the safety of road users.