Kaduna goes ga-ga over urban road projects

The various road projects currently in progress in parts
of Kaduna State and the intensity of work might be an
indication that the state government has decided to
overhaul the entire road network in the state this year.
The effort to rehabilitate the roads and construct new
ones started last year with the allocation of N29.77bn
to the Works and Transport ministry in the 2016
budget. Towards the end of last year, bulldozers and
project vehicles went into action with the clearing and
grading of vast kilometers of roads in the state capital.
Many of the projects are still ongoing but some, like the
Ugwan Doki and Ungwan Sarki roads, were completed
last year.
The work was intensified at the beginning of 2017 with
the clearing and covering of drainages, cutting of
damaged parts for repairs, refilling of loose patches as
well as expansion works and mounting of street lights.
The state governor had last year said that the roads in
the capital and other urban areas of the state needed
serious work after a long time.
He said he discovered that even local government
headquarters had no roads.
“Our roads sometimes have no drainages, so they don’t
last. We want to tell our people in the rural areas that
rural areas can also be cities. You don’t all have to
move to Kaduna, Zaria or Kafanchan to have a good
life. We will bring the good life to them, so we have a
massive programme for every local government
headquarter and town,” he stated.
Shortly after, the government awarded contracts for the
construction and rehabilitation of many roads. These
include the dualisation of the Rigasa-College Road,
Anguwan Dosa, Aliyu Makama road in Barnawa and
Sabon Birni road in Kawo.
Our correspondents learnt that the government took up
no less than 75 different roads with a commitment to
complete them before the end of the first quarter of the
year.
They include the one in Barnawa which is 8 kilometers,
Zaria road dualisation and the 20-kilometer link roads
in Rigasa area while 53 of the roads are in Kabala with
26 in Ungwan Rimi.
The state Commissioner for Works, Housing and
Transport, Engr. Hassan Usman Mahmud, said the
government last year awarded 11 road contracts
including those earmarked for dualization and many
township roads.
“The four dualization projects include the eight-
kilometer Zaria road in Rigasa which provides access to
the Abuja-Kaduna train terminal and the busy Aliyu
Makama road in Barnawa, a 5.7-kilometer road. Others
include the Ungwan Dosa and Sabon Birni dualization
projects,” he said.
He said 29 more contracts were awarded covering
roads in both urban and rural areas in 18 of the 23
LGAs of the state.
“We have awarded 30 other contracts, these include
some township roads in Kafanchan, Sabon Gari, Zaria,
Hunkuyi, Giwa, Makarfi, Ikara, Kauru, Kaura, and other
local government areas and I believe more will come in
all the parts of the state,” he added.
He said the Zaria Road project in Rigasa was awarded
in January 2017 with an 18-month completion period.
The commissioner added that after the dualization in
Rigasa, the state government realized that there would
be higher traffic because of the Abuja-Kaduna Light Rail
Terminal, so in addition to the dualization of the road, it
is doing other township roads with a total stretch of 20
kilometers.
The government, it was also learnt, has made
provisions for streetlights and relocation of services like
electric poles, communication masts and water pipes
within the roads while work has also gone far on the
Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) project in Kaduna
metropolis.
The project will begin from the Kawo overhead bridge to
the NDA, Rabah Road, Ungwan Sarki and terminate at
Lugard Hall Roundabout.
To cater for buses, the existing dualised roads will be
expanded to three lanes on both sides.
“The purpose is to be able to have a single dedicated
lane that will be solely and uniquely for the specialized
bus service called the Rapid Bus Transport (BRT) the
kind we have in developed cities and Lagos,” the
commissioner said.
Many residents of the state have applauded the
drainage projects.
A resident of Badarawa, Mustapha Aliyu, said in his
over 30 years of living in Kaduna, he had never seen
such a massive road drainage project.
Mr. Richard Samuel of Sabo in Chikun Local
Government Area described as laudable, the
government’s efforts, especially on the drainage system
ahead of the rainy season, saying it would reduce
compensation payment and purchase of relief materials
for displaced persons as a result of floods.
He however advised that in case of subsequent
projects, residents of every community should be
engaged in menial jobs involved in such projects in
order to give them a sense of responsibility. He
appealed to contractors handling the projects to
complete the work quickly to reduce congestion on the
roads.
“There are some areas where the refuse evacuated
from the gutters are left on the roads, I think something
should be done about them,” he advised.
Mama Rabi, who sells vegetables by the road side in
Kaduna South LGA, commended the drainage projects,
saying, “Even though it has affected my business
because I had to give way to the workers to do their
work, I still see the project as very needful, especially as
it will help reduce flood and mosquitoes,” she said.
She appealed to residents of the state, especially
women, children and traders to desist from throwing
wastes in gutters.
Inusa Jibril, a resident of Tudun Wada, said the projects
are creating jobs for the people and encouraged the
government to initiate more to gainfully engage the
people.
Some residents said they had to bear the many
inconveniences due to the condition of the roads as the
work lasts.
Residents of Rigasa, Rigachikun, Rafinguza and Hayin
Danmani among others however said government is yet
to commence such projects in the areas.