Johnson spoke to the Newmen in Port Harcourt on Wednesday on Gov. Siminalayi Fubara’s achievements within the first year in office.
“The current administration is undertaking several road projects to open up other parts of the state and to decongest the state capital,” he said.
The commissioner said that the ongoing dualisation of the Elele/Umudioga/Egbeda/Ikiri/Omoku Road was awarded at the sum of N80 billion.
He explained that the road cut across three local government areas, adding, “we have paid 50 per cent of the contract value which is about 40 billion”
Johnson further said that the contract for a 240-metre link bridge between Abua and Agbangele had been awarded, and that work was already ongoing.
“This project is important to us, some Abua people go home through Bayelsa due to a river that disconnects them from the Odua section
”We awarded the bridge contract to a globally accepted firm because of the importance we attache to it,” he said.
The commissioner further stated that the 50.1km dual carriage Ring Road which cut across six local government areas had about six flyovers, bridges and an interchange.
Johnson explained that the importance of the project was to decongest Port Harcourt and to create more model cities and new towns.
‘’Wherever that road traverses, we try to open up for people to begin to build new towns, live there and do their businesses.
‘’If we have a 50km ring road that can take you just at a swing, then it means that commuters will have an unhindered access.
‘’The structure of the road is such that it will touch a number of our commercial nerve centres,’’ he said.
The commissioner who said that the ring road had a completion period of three years, expressed hopes that it would be completed earlier because of the pace of work.
Speaking on internal roads in Port Harcourt, Johnson said work on the Elelenwo Internal Road in Obio/Akpor had begun as well as a section of Akania/Ugbuguru,l Road, off Ada George Road.
He said that the state government decided to fix the 5km bad spot at Akania in order to tackle the traffic jam along Ozuoba/NTA Road.
“Because of the ongoing work around the Egbugbuguru section of Ozuoba, the ring road cuts across Ugbuguru up to Ozuoba, the traffic flow on the Ozuoba/NTA axis became badly impeded.
”The failed section of Degema Street in Port Harcourt has been rehabilitated. And most of the internal roads in Port Harcourt Township have been resurfaced.
“The ascending section of the bridge connecting Dr Odili Road to Woji Town has also been resurfaced while that of Umuakali-Ebeli road is ongoing,” he said.
Johnson said that the 3km Etche/Egbod road project along Etche to Umuikaa towards Ngor Okpala was ongoing,
The commissioner said that the current government inherited some road projects which it had completed.
He listed the 19.1km Oyigbo/Okoroma/Afam Road in Oyigbo, Egbeda Internal Road and the 10.3km Indorama-Agbonchia Road as some of them.
Johnson also said that the current government inherited and completed the 8.1 km Abua/Omoku/Iyaa/Igom/Eyok Road in Abua/Odua and the 27km Andoni section of the Ogoni/Opobo/Andoni Unity Road.
‘’We have awarded and completed the 12.8km Egbeda Internal Road Extension in Emuoha local government area.
“We have the 6.5km Woji/Aleto/Alesa/Refinery Link Road with a 200-meter bridge which is still ongoing,’’ he said.
The recently inaugurated 10.9km Aleto/Ebubu/Eteo Road, was awarded by the state government at the cost of N6.7 billion and delivered within six months.
