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As OYSROMA teams up with Road Rescue to fill potholes with cold asphalt technology…

The Chairman OYSROMA Hon Ogunlade , the General Manager Engr Mrs Oduola and other Engineers visit the Anfani Round About Project

The Oyo State Government, through the Oyo State Roads and Management Agency, (OYSROMA), has teamed up with the Road Rescue Limited, to fill up potholes on roads across the city of Ibadan, using new technology of cold mix asphalt, described as easy and more economical.

The collaboration was made possible by the commitment of the Commissioner for Works, Infrastructure and Transport, Prof Dahud Sangodoyin, to actualise the determination of the Governor Seyi Makinde – led administration which made it feasible for an indigenous company like Road Rescue Limited, to repair some roads for free as parts of its Corporate Social Responsibility to the state.

Speaking on the collaboration, Chief Operating Officer of Road Rescue Limited, Mike Adegun, said the high rate of youth unemployment in the society, as well as the level of damages done to cars due to potholes encountered daily on the city roads, led to its vision of coming up with a viable ‘do it yourself’ solutions known as the cold asphalt.

Adegun, who lauded the state government’s commitment to zero potholes in the state, said the cold mix asphalt is easy to use in refilling the roads with just just shovel, rakes and lesser workforce. He noted that Road Rescue Limited through its corporate social responsibility engagements, has worked on some major roads in Ibadan metropolis, including the General Gas Akobo to Kolapo Ishola GRA entrance, Iyaganku GRA to Ring Road bypass with spur up to Mile 110 Road, Dandaru to Vine Branch Church up to Yemetu Road.

“We came up with the cold asphalt and we went to the extent of making it in such a way that it can be stored in sacks and it can be stored for more than two to three years.

Nobody has ever done this before in this country. The cold asphalt can be used at any moment any season of the year be it during the rain or dry season.

“We are working during the rain, we are not disturbed by it, we’ve currently succeeded in two concepts, we’ve come up with cold asphalt and two we’ve been able to bag it in 25kg sacks which will make it very easier for people to use and that initiative is new in Nigeria,” he said.

Adegun explained that though it is the responsibility of Oyo State Roads and Management Agency (OYSROMA), to fix the potholes on roads, “when I spoke with the chairman of the agency about this latest and less cumbersome idea of ‘do it yourself cold mix asphalt’, he was surprised and pledged his support and also promised to inspect what we are doing.

“It is usual and quite understanding that road maintenance projects during the rainy season used to slow down because hot asphalt has limitations during the rain, while this cold mix asphalt provides an all-season solution. This will help us to engage youths in our areas that are already filling the potholes with gutter sand. If the local government authority can buy some bags and give it to them and let them start making use of it in filling the potholes in their local government areas, these set of youths will be meaningfully engaged and it will surely reduce the crime rate in our society because they could have joined their colleagues in crimes but they choose not to do so,” he added.

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