Anayo Okolie
The Ondo state government has fixed the commencement of the inauguration of its much publicised 100 projects for December 21, kicking off with the NEPA-Arakale dual carriage road.
Briefing newsmen on the development in Akure weekend, the state Commissioner for Information, Mr. Kayode Akinmade who said the unveiling would be done by the state Governor, Dr. Olusdegun Mimiko, added that it will be the turn of the Igbokoda dualisation project to be inaugurated on December 28 while the Awosika in Ondo and Ijare Mega schools would be unveiled on December 29 and 30 respectively.
Speaking on the NEPA-Arakale road, which he said was initiated and completed by the Mimiko-led administration against all odds, Akinmade explained that the road was a single carriageway and had remained so for over nine decades.
He added that it was a great deal reconstructing the road, being an ancient corridor of shrines where successive administrations since 1976 tried to dualise but to no avail due to the opposition of the landlords and traditional chiefs who claimed the homes of ancient shrines and sites revered by the Akure people could not be tampered with or relocated.
According to him, over 439 houses were demolished and adequate compensations paid to affected landlords apart from shop owners who were residents of the affected buildings that were compensated and provided with better alternative as they were relocated to modern markets equipped with world-class standard facilities.
While responding to questions on the furniture provided on the road, the state spokesman stressed that for the road to accommodate the traffic challenge along the corridor, government designed it to be a dual carriage-way with 7.3m width each.
According to him, the road laced with 1100 by 600 * 150mm thick cover drain of 4.8km length for the provision of adequate drainage system and to serve as pedestrian walkways along both sides of the road while duct were constructed for service lines that may likely be drawn along the corridor in future.
The commissioner said the road was built on 200mm thick stone base and 90mm thick asphalt pavement to accommodate heavy axle loads, while 14 bus shelters and 2 bus terminals were constructed at the two ends, apart from three big parking lots of 1000 capacity each built to check mate indiscriminate parking along the roadsides that formerly inflicted traffic congestion on the road.
He further explained that illumination on the road in the night was also taken care of by constructing bright street light along the concrete median of the road. The project unveiling continues till February next year.
