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Tag: Bodo-Bonny road project

  • Julius Berger promises to deliver FG’s Bodo-Bonny road project in December 

    Julius Berger promises to deliver FG’s Bodo-Bonny road project in December 

    …as Senate committee inspects projects 

    The Senate Committee on Works, at the weekend, inspected the federal government’s Bodo-Bonny Road project in Rivers with the contractor, Julius Berger, promising to deliver the job in December 

    Members of the committee led by their Chairman, Senator Barinada Mpigi, noted the challenges involved in the construction of the 38km road especially the area’s marshy, muddy and swampy terrain.

    The senators observed that the project was making significant projects and that 5km of the road was already asphalted and critical bridges completed, linking the mainland to Bonny Island. 

    Senator Mpigi expressed satisfaction with the progress and urged Julius Berger to maintain its reputation as a leading construction company in Nigeria.

    He said: “We are happy with the progress, but we expect more from Julius Berger, a company we have come to know as a giant in the construction industry.

    “We want you to use this Bodo-Bonny road as a sample of your expertise. The Federal Government has made its obligations, and now it’s time for delivery.”

    The committee also directed Julius Berger to explore ways to complete the asphalt work by December and scheduled September to review the progress of the work.

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    Mpigi emphasized that the committee would be closely monitoring the project’s progress, with regular visits to the site.

    He said: “This is not a one-time visit. We will be crisscrossing the Niger Delta to ensure that projects are completed on time and within budget. We want to see the impact of these projects on the lives of Nigerians.”

    A member of the committee, Senator Patrick Ndubueze noted the difficult terrains of the project juxtaposing it to similar jobs in other regions with plain land.

    He said: “”Construction in this area is not the same as in the South-East. We need to take into account the unique challenges of this project and ensure that we get it right.”

    In his remarks, the Managing Director of Julius Berger, Peer Lubasch, assured the committee that the company would complete the Bodo-Bonny road project by December with adequate financing. 

    He said the pace of the construction was slow because of the need to allow the soil to settle, given the low-lying marshy area, muddy and swampy soil conditions, and considerable tidal movements. 

    He noted that despite the challenges, significant progress had been made, with reasonable kilometers of the road already asphalted, emphasizing that the road was accessible for vehicles to drive into both the mainland and island. 

    He said that all critical bridges had also been completed to link the mainland to Bonny Island, adding that the project was approximately 75 to 80 per cent complete.

    He said: “We will endeavour completion of the work by December this year, of course subject to proper financing.”

    The Project Manager, Tim Nippeat, confirmed that the company was on track to meet the December deadline.

    He said: “The progress of the entire scope of the work which we have got since 2017 up til now and what we want to complete by the end of this year is today more than 75% we are very close to 80 % completion.”

  • Contractual differences slowed down Bodo-Bonny road project completion, says Julius Berger

    Contractual differences slowed down Bodo-Bonny road project completion, says Julius Berger

    Julius Berger Nigeria PLC has revealed that the Bodo-Bonny Road project, awarded in 2014, would have been completed earlier if not for contractual differences.

    The company, however, assured its commitment to completing the remaining sections using advanced concrete technology and state-of-the-art equipment.

    The federal government and Julius Berger Nigeria PLC were locked in prolonged negotiations over the Bodo-Bonny Road project, culminating in an April directive giving the company until the end of 2024 to complete the work. 

    The ultimatum followed Minister of Works David Umahi’s rejection of the company’s N28 billion variation demand on the 82% completed project, with the government offering N20 billion instead. 

    According to former Permanent Secretary Yakubu Kofarmata, the N199.923 billion contract was initially scheduled for completion by December 2023, with a clause barring further variations. 

    The 39-kilometer road, the first to connect Bonny Island to the rest of Rivers State by land, remains a critical infrastructure project. 

    Umahi then, warned that if the contractor failed to accept the government’s terms and resume work, the earlier 14-day ultimatum which had already expired would be reactivated. 

    However, Emmanuel Isibor, Manager of Media Relations for Julius Berger, revealed in a statement on Tuesday that workers were seen last week finalizing concrete pavements on both sides of the major road into the island.

    He said the company is constructing state-of-the-art concrete roads inside the oil-rich Island which constitutes the terminal section of the ongoing Bodo-Bonny Road project in Rivers State.

    He noted that last week, workers were seen busy on-site putting final touches to the concrete pavements on both sides of the major road into the Island, while others were busy laying reinforcement gauze, and later mixed concrete on the main road.

    He added that all through, Julius Berger site workers were seen constructing rigid concrete pavements and roads using specialized international equipment from Wirtgen, Germany.

    The statement reads in part: “With an array of equipment ranging from, Mobile concrete batching plant, Concrete mixer, Concrete pumps, Concrete pavers to Concrete boom placer, the workers were busy on the job last week.”

    “He quoted the Project Manager, Tim Nippert, as saying “We are building about 5.50km of concrete roads with pavements on this Island. The last 5.50km on this Island will have its roads and pavements built on concrete.

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    “Due to the extremely challenging soil conditions on the main Bodo-Bonny Road and expected long-term settlements of up to 30cm over a period of 30 years, the contract for the job did not ask for concrete construction on the Road except for the Island roads.

     “This is an innovative approach to modern-day construction. We are happy with what we are seeing here on this Island. Even the progress on the road from Bodo across Afa Creek Bridge and Opobo Bridge across Opobo Channel and Nanabie Creek Bridge to this point on the Island, we are excited.

    “Julius Berger is doing great on this road,” retorted a community leader and Chairman of the Bodo-Bonny Road Project Peace Committee, Chief O. R. Longjohn, last week.

    “Bonny Island roads are part of the Bodo-Bonny Road project contract awarded to Julius Berger Nigeria Plc in 2014. But for contractual differences, the project would have been delivered”