The Presidency has blamed the contractor handling the Benin-Agbor-Asaba Expressway for the recent failure of a section of the road, describing the incident as an isolated case.

The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, stated this on Wednesday while speaking on Channels Television about the condition of the highway and the President’s directive for its redesign and total reconstruction.

Dare said the government responded swiftly by deploying the Minister of Works, David Umahi, National Assembly members and other stakeholders to the affected section after concerns over the deteriorating condition of the road.

He said the incident should not be used to assess the performance of federal road projects nationwide, noting that several other roads had either been completed or were progressing without similar problems.

According to him, the government had a responsibility to identify roads requiring intervention and provide funding, while contractors were expected to execute projects according to the required standards.

Dare said the contractor’s explanations for the failure did not absolve it of responsibility, describing the situation as a failure on the contractor’s part.

His comments came a day after Umahi inspected the affected section in Edo State and apologised to motorists over the condition of the highway.

Umahi had condemned the concessionaire handling the reconstruction and directed moves towards the total reconstruction of the road after concluding that palliative measures would not adequately address the problem.

Dare said the government’s rapid response demonstrated its commitment to addressing infrastructure challenges, adding that motorists might have to endure some temporary inconvenience as major road projects progressed.

He said the Federal Government was currently undertaking major road projects across the country, including five legacy roads and about 320 roads nationwide.

The Benin-Agbor-Asaba corridor has recently come under intense criticism over its deteriorating condition, with the poor state of the highway disrupting transportation, damaging vehicles and increasing the cost of movement and business along the route.