The link road from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) toll gate by Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) annex to Legend Hotel around the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) has finally been fixed by the airport authority and Lagos State government months after the road caused constant gridlocks and accident scare for trucks moving aviation fuel to the airport.
Our Correspondent, who visited the failed portion saw workers and their machines on site fixing the road to make it accessible again.
Olubunmi Kuku, managing director/chief executive of FAAN, has urged members of the public, especially road users around the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, to exercise patience with the Authority as it steps up work on some of its operational roads within the airport area.
Kuku said this while inspecting the road construction ongoing between the Toll Gate Plaza and Gate 13, known as the Service Road of the airport.
While expressing satisfaction with the quality and pace of the work, she asked that road users give the required cooperation to properly and timely construct the 2.4-kilometre road. She also thanked the Lagos State Government for agreeing to collaborate with FAAN on the project.
“This road should have been done years ago, but I am glad that we have started it, and we need the full cooperation of all road users and members of the airport community to complete it on time and to the desired specifications,” she said. “I also want to thank the Governor of Lagos State, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, for partnering with us to ensure the speedy completion of this particular project.
“This collaboration is an example of the kind of productive partnerships we are open to encouraging at FAAN for us to make the experience of our passengers as pleasant as possible.
“I also want to thank the Honourable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, for his leadership and guidance. His commitment and eye-for-detail have kept us on our toes, and we are glad that he continues to provide oversight on our work.”
The project work includes the complete road reconstruction, drainages on both sides, sidewalks, and streetlights. The entire project is expected to be delivered in nine months.
The dilapidated road which was within the Lagos airport premises became a late travel factor for travellers as vehicles spent an average of 15 to 25 minutes struggling to maneuver the road to get to the car park at the Lagos international airport.
The bad road had led to the breakdown of Jet A1 Fuel trucks on the airside at MMIA and very often the calibration metering was out, forcing truck drivers to wait for re-calibration before fuelling can commence, thereby leading to flight delays.
Read also: FAAN, IATA collaborate to improve aviation, passenger experience
Truck drivers express concern
Truck drivers had expressed fears that the road may become an accident waiting to happen with the highly inflammable load of aviation fuel.
Musa Yahaya, a commercial driver that plies the route told BusinessDay Sunday that if nothing was done soon about the road, there may be an accident with aviation fuel trucks that would claim the lives of travellers and airport users.
“It’s rather embarrassing for an internal link road of an international airport to be this bad. The big ‘ogas’ see this and have kept quiet about it. It’s indeed sad,” Yahaya told BusinessDay.
Chuka Uzor, another commercial driver told BusinessDay that the road became a problem to drivers as some drivers who could not afford to repair the damage caused by the road on their cars have had to park their cars, depriving them of their daily income.
A staff of an aviation agency who won’t want his name mentioned told BusinessDay that the road which has become a world embarrassment made FAAN and NCAA staff cars break down often.
“Our shock absorbers and ball joints are suffering as well. It has become a nightmare for us. The government needs to come to our aid,” the staff said.
Implications of bad roads on aviation fuel trucks
An ex-airline captain explained some of the implications of the bad roads on aviation fuel trucks.
“Transporting aviation fuel trucks on a bad road can potentially affect the calibration of the fuel. Here’s why: Potholes, bumps, and vibrations from driving on rough roads can cause the fuel to agitate and mix with air, leading to changes in density and temperature. This can impact the accuracy of fuel measurements.
“When fuel trucks navigate sharp turns or sudden stops on uneven roads, fuel can slosh around, causing variations in fuel level and pressure. This can affect the calibration of fuel meters,” the ex- airline captain said.
He said debris from poor road conditions can enter the fuel tank through vents or openings, contaminating the fuel, adding that changes in road surface temperature, shade, or sunlight exposure can influence fuel temperature, potentially affecting calibration.
The ex-airline captain hinted that repeated shocks and vibrations can cause mechanical fuel meters to shift or malfunction.
However, he noted that modern fuel trucks often feature suspended cargo tanks to reduce vibration, anti-slosh baffles to minimise fuel movement, pressure vacuum vents to prevent contamination, insulation to regulate fuel temperature and electronic metering systems less prone to mechanical errors.
To mitigate potential calibration issues, he suggested that truck drivers should regularly inspect and maintain fuel trucks, monitor fuel temperature and density, use tamper-evident seals on fuel tank openings, calibrate fuel meters frequently and train drivers to navigate rough roads carefully.
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