FCTA in Race to Complete Bill Clinton Drive

FCTA in Race to Complete Bill Clinton Drive

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

The FCT Administration has assured it would meet the April deadline for the renovation of the 7km long Bill Clinton Drive, and arterial road linking the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport to Umar Musa Yar’Adua Express Road.

FCT Minister Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, expressed delight that renovation work would be completed on schedule and without any major hindrance to traffic and with minimal damage to vegetation and utilities.

“Our major concern had been how we were going to execute such a major infrastructure work without posing a major obstruction to traffic as well as preserving the trees and street lights. I am happy that we have been able to accomplish this work without doing damage to the environment and utilities,” Bello said while inspecting the pace of work at the project site.

Last year, the Federal Executive Council, approved the sum of N1.7 billion for the reconstruction of the Bill Clinton Drive in order to stem the possible collapse of the road which as at then had far outlived its life span. Work also commenced last September with a deadline for completion set for seven months, which is by April 2019, following the winning of the bid by China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC).

The Minister was led on the inspection visit by the Executive Secretary, Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) Umar Gambo Jibrin.

He said the pattern used in the Bill Clinton Drive reconstruction project included advocacies and stakeholder consultations and would set the standard for future reconstruction works in the city.

He lamented the damage done to the trees that lined up the Umar Musa Yar’Adua Express Road, during the project for its expansion into a ten-lane express road, and assured they would not repeat such a mistake.

The renovation work on the road involved scarification, stabilisation of earth work and “Dunlop” asphalts.

The Director Engineering Services FCDA, Hadi Ahmad, who briefed the minister, assured that the outlook of the road had been improved with better kerbs, wider road shoulders and adequate drainage system. He expressed hope that the completed side of the road would be opened to traffic by tomorrow, Wednesday, February 6, while work would move to the other side of the driveway.

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