By Kingsley Adegboye

LAGOS State Public Works Corporation, LSPWC, has established two new asphalt plants in Imota and Badagry  to boost its operations in terms of asphalt production.

The Chairman of the Corporation, Mr. Gbenga Akintola explained that the Imota plant which has 120 tonnes per hour capacity when in full operation, will cater for about 404 roads located in the six local council development areas LCDAs in Ikorodu, Epe, Ibeju-Lekki and parts of Eti-Osa area while the Badagry plant which is expected to commence production in the second quarter of the year, will cater for 400 roads in Amuwo-Odofin, Ajeromi-Ifelodun, Ojo, Badagry and Egan-Igando axis of Alimosho Local Government Area.

Mr Akintola also unfolded  plans by the agency to complete 1,000 roads,  fix 100 manhole covers, 250 gratings as well as construct drainage channels in 17 locations scattered across nine council areas in the state this year.

The LSPWC boss stated that in order to achieve the corporation’s target for the year, the agency will take advantage  of some proven effective approaches.“We are also relying on the fruits of our equipment renewal programme which started in 2010 as a strategy to up our game in 2013. We have made appreciable progress over the years by adding different kinds of state-of-the art equipment to enable us carry out duties at world class level. We are expecting many more in the year 2013.

LSPWC will double its night operations capacity in 2013 with the delivery of additional five units of floodlights just a week ago. This is as a result of our quest to work more at night given our sensitivity to the difficulty road users go through whenever maintenance work is being carried out, especially on very busy roads,” he said..

Mr. Akintola explained that with the anticipated operations of Imota and Badagry asphalt plants, there will  be need to increase the number of agency’s maintenance gangs. “This automatically means greater capacity to maintain more roads in 2013’’, he assured

He gave the assurance that the collaboration with the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, FERMA to attend to maintenance need on federal roads in Lagos will continue. He announced that with the directive of Governor Babatunde Fashola, LSPWC has commenced sales of asphalt at discount rate to FERMA so as to enable it respond more promptly and effectively to road maintenance  needs in Lagos.

On the corporations preparedness for heavy rains expected this year, Akintola said: We have positioned to take full advantage of every dry day, so as to cover appreciable mileage by mobilising all men, materials and equipment.

‘Our expansion of night operations will also help us to carry out maintenance work in the night in instances where it rained in the day, but not without paying attention to the damage that can be done to such work if it rains too soon after completion. However, the use of interlocking paving stones and other palliative methods like lean concrete mix, bouldres and crushed stones will allow us to provide relief to Lagosians even when it rains’’, he said.