FCT minister restates commitment to completion of Apo-Karshi road project

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mohammed Bello, has reassured  residents of the territory that the 13.25 kilometres Apo-Karshi road will soon be completed and opened to the public before this year’s rainy season sets in.

The road project was first awarded in 2011 but was abandoned. The effort to complete the project by the current administration has been delayed as a result of what the minister described as an “error of design.”

The contract was awarded by the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) in 2011 for N6.4 billion.

The road project was conceived as an alternative route to ease the gridlock experienced on a daily basis by workers and people coming into the capital city from the Mararaba-Nyanya axis.

The scope of the contract was to include site clearance and earthworks, construction of culverts (pipe and box) of various sizes, drainage, construction of two bridges of three-span (45m) and five-span (75m), rehabilitation of one bridge as well as pavement and surfacing.

The minister told newsmen in Abuja that the initial challenges encountered by the contractor of the project have been overcome and that the work is now at an advanced stage of completion.

He said, “The Karshi-Apo road is a project that should have been delivered by now. One of the main challenges faced on that road has to do with an error in the design whereby a huge rock outcrop on the alignment of the road corridor became very difficult to be able to arrange.

“But we are happy to say that it is now almost taken care of. I believe within a few months’ time hopefully before the onset of the rains this year, that road would be open. Already, a portion of that road which links Tundun Wada on the Abuja-Keffi  highway via old and new Karshi is now very motorable because of the bridge constructed there with the ecological fund, which was inaugurated about a month ago.

“I believe this road will help on the Abuja-Keffi highway particularly the portion from the military formation to Nyanya, which I’m sure you are aware the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing is working on. It is being widened and all the alignment for the road proper has been graded.”

On the demonstration against insecurity and incessant abduction by the Pegi community in Kuje area council of the FCT, Bello said the situation was being looked into with a view to addressing them.

“On the demonstration by Pegi community over insecurity, all insecurity concerns were raised at the FCT security council meeting on Tuesday. We are focusing on three things – vandalism, cultism and drug abuse and communal clashes. We have looked at them and we are working on them,” he added.

The minister also blamed lack of funds for the non-completion of the road leading to the resettlement area in Pegi.

“The road in Kuje leading to the resettlement centre has been affected by budgetary constraints, especially as you know that 2020 was a difficult year for everybody particularly in terms of our ability to fund our projects. But I hope in 2021, based on what we have in the budget we will work as much as possible to see that this project is completed,” he said.

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