House of Representatives has directed Julius Berger to as a matter of public necessity to open the completed section of the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway to motorists to ease vehicular movement.
The House Committee on Works equally summoned the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Works and Housing, Dr. Mohammed Bukar, the Director (Highways) Construction as well as Julius Berger to brief it on the status of the ongoing works on Abuja-Kaduna and Zaria-Kano road projects.
This was disclosed in a statement yesterday by the House Committee Chairman, Hon. Abubakar Kabir Abubakar.
The committee said it has become imperative for the appropriate bodies to provide necessary explanations following a barrage of complaints coming from well meaning Nigerians travelling on this corridor.
Abubakar said: “The ongoing rehabilitation and dualisation of the Abuja-Kaduma Highway is causing untold hardship to motorists and other road users plying that road.
“The partial closure of some sections has caused enormous financial and labour time losses due to road traffic congestion and long hours spent on the road.”
Abubakar noted that it has been observed that the quality of life of those commuting on that has started to decline, adding that journey that normally takes four hours now takes at least nine hours.
“We call on the construction company working on the road to expedite action on the project so as to complete it on time. They should immediately open up closed sections of the road they have completed to motorists so as to reduce the long hours spent travelling on the road,” Abubakar said.
The committee equally called on relevant authorities such as the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the Nigeria Police Force to provide adequate security and ensure that motorists drive within the maximum speed limit of 50 km per hour as the maximum limit allowed at construction zones.
