Concrete Road: Ebonyi Commissioner Advises Residents To Obey Curing Period
By Alex Odeh, Pan Afric Reporters
The Commissioner for Project Monitoring and Evaluation in Ebonyi State, Engineer Felix Igboke Ogbonna, has urged the people of Ebonyi State to always obey the 18-21 days curing period required before putting into use concrete roads that are constructed by the state government.
Igboke, who told journalists during a chat on Friday in Abakaliki, explained that the reason why concrete roads upon completion generate dust was lack of adherence of road users to the curing period.
He called on site engineers to always be on ground to monitor the activities of labourers they have employed in order to ensure that they churn out quality jobs that will stand the test of time.
He explained why the roads are emitting dust , attributing it to the attitude of Ebonyi people, “So, what I want to tell us is that Ebonyi people have been complaining about some roads producing dust. I have said this before. I want to say it again. Why most of these roads produce dust is our own fault. Ebonyi people are impatient. Impatient. Impatient. When a concrete road is done, it needs at least 18 to 21 days curing period”, he said
Igboke explained further why people should not evacuate the latrite used as blockage on concrete roads while on construction.
“That is why when you see a concrete road being done, you will see some people using a latrite to block it. So that people will use it for at least 21 days. 18 to 21 days.
‘I have gone to sites where you will see people from that area using small tippers and laborers to come and cart-away that lartrite they use in blocking that road. So that they will start using it. You will see them removing whatever you use to block that road for curing”, he recounted.
While giving more reasons for failure of the roads, the commissioner further attributed it to application of heavy duty vehicles on the concrete roads during the curing period.
“And when they start using it, they use it with both heavy equipment, of course there are a lot of trucks in the whole state now because everywhere is project site. And when you scatter that road, you will come back to start doing video.
“It happened in Omege you talked about. Even though it was constructed in a way that it will be coated with asphalt. But all these roads, both in rural areas cannot be coated with asphalt”, he noted.
He cautioned Ebonyi people to harken to the advice of allowing the roads for 18-21 days before putting them into use.
“So I advise people, whenever they are doing a project in your area, and they say, avoid this. Obey. After all, when that road was not constructed, you were living, you are not dead. So 18 to 21 days of waiting cannot kill you. That is the major thing that is bringing up all this dust. And when it happens, you say that the mixture ratio and all that, that is a poor job as well.
“Aside that, some of the laborers we use, because I saw where some people are commenting that laborers are now used in construction work. Which people will you use? What we need in project sites is to have a certified engineer. If you have one or two, get your laborers, you direct them.
“We are not against it. But some of these laborers, when an engineer on site is not there to monitor them, they look for a way that will be easier for them to function.
“For instance, this concrete road we are doing, I can bet you, if you like, use the highest ratio to cast it. Use the highest concrete ratio in casting a road. When once your laborer on site uses a wooden hand thrower to dress the surface, that road must fail. It must produce dust. Because it can’t compact it very well, because it’s wooden. Rather, it sucks off the cement in the surface, leaving it vulnerable to fail.
He maintained that the engineers must ensure the labourers used specified tools for the job, and said, “That is where you see the use of power thrower, you see the use of iron hand thrower, and all that being used”, he said.
