Ifere Paul|20 March 2016|8:00am
* The Superhighway is a wonderful international standard expressway with a double carriage way. It is estimated to be about 260km. It vision is one of the best visions, only that the older expressway is not motorable at all. People loss their lives daily on that road. One would have expected that the governor will keep to fill up all sections of the road before he dreams about the superhighway. Over 51 persons have died between the time the governor announced his signature projects and now.
* The superhighway conceptualization came with a modern tower or transmitter which the governor called antenna. This antenna is according the is to dispense internet into our mobile phones.
* According the governor, superhighway will be provided with a 4G internet bandwidth. This according to governor will provide internet services to online marketers and news media, and other small needs of individuals and family. But essentially, it will provide internet to all the hotels and international restaurants with different continental dishes from around the world.
* The superhighway will have a tunnel. The governor has personally announced to Crossriverians that he must construct a tunnel in the superhighway. I like tunnels. The problem with this superhighway tunnel is that the governor said "the terrain of the superhighway is almost flat and without encumbrances. I wonder where the tunnel will be fixed.
* According to government sources, the superhighway will have over 61 bridges. That's about 1 bridge every 4 kilometers. A double carriageway with such bridges would sure be a delight to travel on. It will be a lovely sight especially with the leon lights the governor promised to fix on the bridge. The superhighway will be a Wonderland travel on. I'm just thinking of what kind of car I will bring from this my Chinese travel. Kai!! Walahi, Suferhighway must come to fass.
* What dis they promised again on that superhighway? Yes! They said the double carriageway will be so smooth that you can keep a glass of water in your trunk and would not spill all through the length of the road. That is, it is going to be a Lazer leveling technology to spread whatever materials will be used on that superhighway. Lazer technology is what is used in building airports runways in.
* The superhighway they said will have traffic camera system. The type that will capture every traffic misbehavior from road users. That would have been great idea. Only that our number plates system does have the this type of technology.
* The will have an ambulance service stations along the road. This will increase the effectiveness of emergency workers on that road.
It is has been almost 10 months that we've been talking about the superhighway without talking about its features. Please, just a little reminder that we need all these features included in the prototype and the 3D simulator of the superhighway.
I want to also remind His Excellency Governor Ben Ayade that we can start the internet without necessarily completing the whole length of the superhighway. He should be reminded that while the debushing has started before the the suspension of work by federal government, the link roads linking the local governments areas to the superhighway has not commenced ever since.
Other than cutting down trees that may bring problems to the governor from host communities, why not we construct an underpass tunnel the length of the Cross River State Forest Reserve Area around Etara/Ekuri communities? We can reduce the number of bridges to the barest minimum to enable us construct the tunnel. And in fact, the tunnel will be the longest tunnel in the world. Toll gates can then be built both ends of the tunnel.
I am not a pessimist. I am here just to remind the government of it promises. And to recommend some changes that make the signature projects easy to achieve.
Ifere Paul
Is an Environmental Activist & Public Policy Analyst
