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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Energy & Infrastructure

FERMA begins repairs on Kano eastern bypass to reduce traffic congestion

From The Punch · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • The Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) has begun repairs on the 13-kilometer Kano Eastern Bypass to alleviate traffic congestion in the city.
  • The project aims to improve traffic flow, prevent pavement deterioration caused by rain, reduce future rehabilitation costs, and lower vehicle operating expenses.
  • Repairs, including pothole patching and drain clearing, started on July 23 and are expected to be completed within two weeks.

The Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) has initiated repairs on the dilapidated 13-kilometer Kano Eastern Bypass, a crucial federal highway aimed at reducing traffic congestion within Kano metropolis. The project, which commenced on July 23, is being executed using direct labor, with approximately 70 FERMA personnel and other workers deployed along the route. Supervising Engineer Sarfil Umar stated during an inspection on Saturday that the bypass is a strategic link connecting the Maiduguri Road corridor to Katsina and Kaduna, allowing long-haul traffic to bypass the city center.

Beyond easing traffic flow, the intervention is expected to prolong the lifespan of the highway by preventing rain-induced pavement deterioration, reducing the need for more costly rehabilitation works in the future and lowering vehicle operating costs for thousands of commuters and commercial transporters that rely on the route daily.

— Sarfil UmarSupervising Engineer, explaining the benefits of the Kano Eastern Bypass repair project.

Beyond easing traffic flow, the intervention is expected to significantly prolong the highway's lifespan by preventing rain-induced pavement deterioration. This proactive maintenance will reduce the need for more costly rehabilitation in the future and lower operating costs for the thousands of commuters and commercial transporters who rely on the route daily. The bypass is vital for regional trade and logistics, handling trucks carrying agricultural produce, livestock, petroleum products, and manufactured goods between Kano and neighboring states. Umar emphasized that the maintenance project, scheduled for completion within two weeks, involves pothole patching, desilting drains, clearing refuse, and repairing damaged street lighting poles.

The bypass serves as a critical transport artery within Kano, connecting long-haul traffic from the North-East with the North-West while allowing motorists to bypass congestion within the metropolitan area.

— Sarfil UmarSupervising Engineer, describing the strategic importance of the Kano Eastern Bypass.

Umar highlighted the necessity of the intervention due to the ongoing rainy season, explaining that blocked drainage channels lead to prolonged water retention on road pavements, a primary cause of failure on federal highways. "Our priority is to restore damaged sections of the road, reopen drainage channels and improve safety for road users," he said. He further urged residents and road users to refrain from dumping refuse into drainage channels, warning that blocked waterways increase the risk of flooding and undermine government investments in road infrastructure. FERMA's Kano State Coordinator, Bashir Mohammed Isma, reaffirmed the agency's commitment to preserving federal roads through timely routine maintenance to prevent extensive structural failures.

Our priority is to restore damaged sections of the road, reopen drainage channels and improve safety for road users.

— Sarfil UmarSupervising Engineer, outlining the immediate goals of the maintenance project.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Punch in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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