©Onyekachi C Ugwu Jp
Just as we are celebrating the commissioning of a state-of-the-art mega asphalt production plant built by Enugu State Government from start to finish and on record time a day before in Enugu, designed to produce 160 tons of asphalt per hour, which in all ramifications is a game-changer, with capacity to produce up to 3,200 tons of asphalt, the Executive Governor and master innovator, has announced the plan to shortly inaugurate a plant for mining and crushing stones needed for asphalt.
What a big bang!
With this twin plants, the Governor states that "we are not only set at improving our urban and rural infrastructure but also enhancing access to farmlands, boosting our agricultural sector, and creating a more connected Enugu".
Essentially, having these in place offers a huge opportunity which allows for drastically reducing road construction costs by producing our own materials, including bitumen, right here in the Enugu State.
The place of a state sourcing all its raw materials for road construction locally cannot be overemphasized in an era when the cost of importation is ever increasing, telling negatively on the states economy. This vision places Enugu State ahead of the curve in road infrastructure provision as well as exponential economic growth. Recall the Governor promising to jumpstart the Gross Domestic Product GDP of the State from a paltry $4billion to $30billion annually. This is attainable and Enugu State is on the road to making history.
With the Governor committed to the construction of 10,000 kilometres of road in the life of his administration, the twin plant remains a huge imperative and a well thought out plan to achieve desired goal. The stone crusher plant set to be inaugurated will serve for crushing and processing stones and rocks into smaller, usable aggregates for construction, road building, and other applications. It typically involves several stages of crushing, screening, and sometimes washing, depending on the requirements of the final product, while the asphalt plant will be used for the manufacture of asphalt, macadam and other forms of coated roadstone, sometimes collectively known as blacktop or asphalt concrete. Asphalt Making and batch mix plants are crucial equipment used in road construction for producing high-quality asphalt mixtures. They are designed to efficiently mix aggregates, bitumen, and filler material to create asphalt that is used for laying roads, highways, and other transportation infrastructure.
With these in place, Enugu State is evidently on the path of infrastructural transformations as have been envisioned by the Governor at the outset of his administration. Recall that the Governor had during his inaugural speech at the hallowed ground of the historical Ọkpara Square promised to make Ndị Enugu proud and commits to not reneging on the promise.
According to the Governor, "his administration's commitment to paving a minimum of 1,200 kilometers of road per year is not just a goal, but a reality that we're already achieving".
Only recently, the Government approved N183 billion for 141 urban roads and 20 rural roads, having already completed 71 urban roads and are currently working on 10 rural roads.
It is EUREKA indeed for Tomorrow is here!
