THE Anambra Government has commenced massive rehabilitation of portions of roads and streets across the state to ease human and vehicular movement ahead of the Yuletide.

Mr Emeka Okoye, the Managing Director, Anambra State Road Maintenance Agency (ARMA), made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Onitsha on Tuesday.

Okoye said the agency had so far fixed over 13,578.81 square metres of roads in the three senatorial districts of the state in a month, adding that it slowed patching of potholes due to rain and flood.

“We have recommenced patching of potholes in the past four weeks in the three senatorial zones.

“In Anambra South Senatorial zone, we have carried out some patching on Azia-Orsumoghu road, Aguluezigbo, Ekwulobia roundabout, Osumenyi-Ezinifite road, Ozubulu-Okija road, Ezeogidi, Oko and Okpuneze roads.

“In Anambra North Senatorial zone, we have done some roads along 33 axis, from Upper Iweka to Ojanja, Limca and Awka roads
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In Anambra Central, we have worked at Abba, Nya street near Government House, Roban Stores road and Amawbia roundabout to By-pass.

“Gov. Willie Obiano is keen to see that all the roads are fixed before Christmas and before the end of dry season,” Okoye said.

The managing director assured that the agency would also fix portions of strategic and busy roads, including the Nnobi road, Ugwu Nwasike road and Kwata junction.

According to him, in Anambra South, the agency will repair a lot of more roads in Nnewi including Obufo, Nneobi, Igborizu, old Onitsha, Ibeto, bank, Ezeogidi and Nwafor Iruagu roads, among others.

He also said residents of the state should expect repair works in Ozubulu, including Michael junction, Ugwu orie junction, Vacmata, Ekwusigo secretariat roads before the Yuletide.

“We are fully activated for pothole patching in Umunze, Awgbu, Nnewi and Osumenyi.

“We are hoping that before the end of the dry season the equipment ordered by the governor for road patching would have arrived.

“We are actually getting three equipment called Dura Patcher, basic mechanical functional equipment that also carries bitumen.

“The equipment will help the agency double its efforts of road patching in the state, as it will reduce logistics of moving asphalt to site.”

He said that some major dilapidated roads were given out to contractors and would be completed in due course.

Okoye said the agency was currently intervening on some roads affected by erosion at Uke, Umuawulu and at Nkwo to Nkwo roads.

According to him, the state government is also collaborating with the Federal Government to ensure that the Enugu-Onitsha expressway is made motorable during the period.

“The governor is concerned about maintenance culture of our roads because we cannot just continue to spend so much on building roads without maintaining them.

“The governor has, therefore, made sure that the agency is well equipped with personnel and equipment.

“We want road users to have better experience, especially during the yuletide and we are poised and equipped to achieve that.”

H, however,appealed to residents to desist from dumping refuse into drainage and burning refuse on asphalt, noting that many roads got damaged from exposure of asphalt base by water or fire.

He disclosed that the state government would soon restrict heavy vehicles from plying certain areas to safeguard the roads.

-NAN

BE

– Nov. 27, 2018 @ 16:59 GMT |