By Joy Odor Reportcircle News
After years of broken highways, stranded trailers and flood-eaten asphalt that crippled movement across Benue State, the Federal Government on Tuesday rolled out a sweeping intervention, commissioning emergency road works and pushing massive reconstruction projects now racing toward completion.
The Federal Ministry of Works wrapped up a high-stakes media inspection and project commissioning tour across the state, a move officials say signals a decisive shift from promises to pavement under the administration’s infrastructure drive.
From Katsina-Ala to Otukpo and down to the Enugu corridor, journalists watched as once-dangerous routes reopened to traffic, drainage channels replaced flood scars, and abandoned alignments returned to life.
At Ushongo and Atihi along the Katsina-Ala–Calabar highway, motorists who once spent hours navigating submerged sections now drive through reinforced pavement protected by a newly constructed 100-metre line drain.
Engineers disclosed that the road had repeatedly collapsed after seasonal flooding washed away the carriageway and cut off farming communities from markets.
The intervention, they said, restores a major agricultural and mineral transport corridor linking Benue to southern Nigeria.
At the Katsina-Ala–Takum road rehabilitation site, the Federal Controller of Works in Benue, Engr. Mukaila Danladi, revealed that construction has moved to binder and sub-base levels, while hydraulic structures are being prepared.
He admitted the project initially battled insecurity and operational constraints affecting heavy equipment, but assured the obstacles have been resolved and steady progress restored.
Representatives of engineering regulatory and professional bodies inspected the sites and declared the work durable and compliant with standards.
According to them, the construction quality indicates long-term resilience rather than temporary patchwork repairs.
In Agasha town, Guma Local Government Area, a notorious failed portion of the Old Makurdi–Wukari road once a nightmare for motorists has been stabilised and commissioned after flood mitigation works.
Residents described the section as a “daily trap” where vehicles routinely broke down before the intervention.
Attention then shifted to the Makurdi–Otukpo–9th Mile–Enugu highway a nationally critical route that endured decades of neglect and long traffic gridlock caused by broken pavement and immobilised articulated trucks.
Officials confirmed the Federal Government ordered full rehabilitation and expansion after the corridor’s extreme deterioration threatened interstate commerce.
Work began February 1, 2024, following clearance of security hurdles, right-of-way acquisition and relocation of utilities.
Key milestones:
Right of way acquisition: 100% completed
Utility relocation: about 98% completed
Overall project completion: over 48%
Contractors reported binder and wearing courses advancing across multiple sections while drainage structures are nearing completion.
At the River Katsina-Ala crossing in Buruku, construction crews preparing the new bridge connecting Benue and Taraba said compensation approvals have cleared the final bottleneck.
Project managers predicted accelerated progress as work resumes at full scale.
Officials explained the nationwide inspection tour was designed not merely to showcase projects but to restore public confidence and demonstrate accountability in federal road spending.
They maintained the new interventions are targeted at economic mobility moving crops, minerals, goods and commuters efficiently rather than cosmetic repairs.
For residents and transporters who endured years of gridlock and washed-out roads, the sight of moving machinery marked a turning point: federal attention has returned to highways long written off as lost.
And this time, authorities insist, the repairs are meant to last not just until the next rainy season.
