Esan, who is also the Director of Roads, Construction and Rehabilitation of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, said the ministry would provide a temporary park in Tafa, along the Kaduna highway, where vehicles can be parked.
He said the park that would house around 500 trucks would help address road access problems and insecurity in the area.
“The Committee was created by the Minister of Works and Housing with the president’s directive to evacuate trucks from the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano highway so that contractors can take full ownership of the highway work.
“In addition, road users can have free passage without traffic jams. So we are here to inspect the facilities that are available where the trucks can now be moved.
“One of the most pronounced bottlenecks is in Tafa and, fortunately, we have a vacant lot acquired by FERMA although they have not been able to do anything on it.
“But we are thinking of moving the Tafa trucks to that site after some improvements to the site so that the trailers can stay without sinking,” he said.
Esan added that the committee would also look for land in other areas along the highway where trucks are causing congestion.
He said that various unions such as NATO, NURTW, tanker truck drivers and others have continued to collaborate with the government to get their trucks off the road in the short term.
He said the committee anticipates that by the end of the year, all trucks should be off the road.
Kamal Kaawache, Site Manager, Julius Berger Nigeria for Section 1, Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Highway Project, said that a stone-based park fill would be adequate considering the weight of the trucks.
He said that due to the challenges the new park can bring, there is also a need to implement Bitumen Stabilized Materials (BSM) to strengthen the park for trucks and trailers to park.
In response, Jere’s district chief, Alhaji Yusuf Suleiman, promised to provide the ministry and stakeholders with the necessary support that would lead to the permanent evacuation of trucks and trailers from the road.
Mr. Suleiman Danzaki, National Union and Road Traffic Worker (NURTW) Senior Special Assistant on Intergovernmental and International Affairs, said the committee must avoid a situation where the movement will be abandoned after the park is provided.
He recalled that a park was acquired by the then Kashir Local Government, now Kagarko Local Government, but was not placed for reasons beyond the control of the local government.
Furthermore, Mr. Abdullahi Haruna, representative of the Tanker Drivers Association, Kaduna Refinery, said that there was a need to make the park user-friendly by providing basic facilities such as wells, toilets and canteens.
Haruna promised that the tanker truck drivers are ready to work with the committee to evacuate the trucks from the road.
“If we have a parking space, you will definitely not see trucks on the road and we are ready to leave the road even a week from now if there is room,” he said.