Ikpeazu, Abia Governor

  The Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, has     successfully  completed  a road construction work using cement technology, which is also known as  rigid pavement technology in road construction.

The governor  is experimenting with this  technology  in road construction on three roads  and has recorded a feat with the completion of  the 400 metres, ENUC Road, off Udeagbala  in Aba.

Governor Ikpeazu  is pioneering this technology in Nigeria in road construction with the construction of three roads  in Aba  – ENUC Road, Omeni Drive, by Aba Owerri Road and Owerri Road, off Okigwe Road – and says the technology is more durable and more sustainable and will  be extended to other roads in Abia in the days ahead. 

He said the construction engineers are currently using a mixture of crush rock-based materials and other items to achieve a thickness fill and compaction to the level of 300mm and then cast with concrete reinforcement with 8mm to 10mm high tensil ( mash of wires) reinforcement bars over the stabilized base course before treatment with prime coat and asphaltic concrete.
The governor disclosed that though the cost of  this technology  is higher than the  conventional construction methods, he has chosen to experiment on it  as a measure to   strengthen the   load bearing capacity of some roads in Abia   and boost the strength and quality of the finished work, adding that roads constructed with this technology has a  sustainability guarantee  of ten to twenty years.
ENUC road under construction
In a press release, the Chief Press Secretary  to the Governor. Mr Godwinn Adindu quotes Governor Ikpeazu as explaining   that  the cement technology  will address the challenges raised by  the soil examination conducted on the three roads, noting that the process involves soil stabilization which is a process of introducing materials that have properties  which the routine construction materials or naturally occurring materials lack to further strengthen pavement and improve the load bearing capacity of the roads.

While disclosing that the cement technology is used in  the construction of airport run-ways, tarmac and places that carry high load bearing  capacity machines  and equipments, the Governor said  it is a good solution for achieving sustainable roads in Nigeria, as it is better and of a higher value than the conventional  method  of using only asphalt.