IN apparent move to ensure improvement in its road fixing activities, the Lagos State Public Works Corporation (LSPWC) has added new equipment, an official said was specially designed to meet the peculiar needs of Lagos terrain.The machine known as 'Pot-hole Pitcher', is one-stop road maintenance equipment, which stores all the materials, needed to patch potholes and also has an insulator in its compartments that ensures that the quality of asphalt is not compromised in the course of activity.Speaking at the test run of the machine at Otunba Jobi-Fele Way, Ikeja, Executive Chairman of LSPWC, Mr. Gbenga Akintola said that early detection and repair of potholes on roads prevent further damage and save cost that would have been incurred on such roads if left to deteriorate.Akintola stated that the machine has the capacity to store up to six tonnes of asphalt. It also has a yellow box connected to its body, contains the asphalt binder known as MC1. 'This part allows MC1 to be conveniently spread on the surface of the portion repaired with ease. In addition to this, there is a portion at the lower part of the machine where debris collected from the area repaired is kept.'He said two of the machines are presently added to the maintenance equipment. The machine, according to Akintola, has the capacity to repair one square metre of pothole in seven minutes, 'and that with frequent use, more time will be saved', he said..The LSPWC boss noted that for a road maintenance agency to become relevant in the society, it must be proactive in adopting modern day maintenance practice that is cost effective considering the enormous work that government has to commit its limited funds to.He said that with the conclusion of the turnaround maintenance of its asphalt plant, the corporation's maintenance gang has resumed its daily road maintenance exercise with about 20 eight different locations to work on daily, adding that the corporation has 300 roads to be repaired in the next three months starting from this month.
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