The federal government may have to scale down its plan to adopt concrete technology in road infrastructure nationwide due to the high price of building materials and the prevailing macro and microeconomic climate.

Although a policy guide on concrete road construction has existed, it has not been massively deployed for roads owing to costs and the availability of funds.

Road construction nationwide has been mainly asphalt-based since independence, but the advent of concrete technology offered a new methodology for road development and durability.

Concrete road technology is usually the most expensive option initially. It can cost about two to three times as much as asphalt and about six times the cost of gravel, estimated at $5 to $10 per square foot.

Findings show that the initial cost of the one-kilometre length of the concrete road was as high as N59.18 million per kilometre, while that of the asphalt road was pegged at N49.76 million per kilometre. Asphalt pavement is less by about N9.41 million per kilometre.

However, that quotation on concrete has increased by 73 per cent due to inflation and the rising cost of construction materials.Despite the spending, debts for payments for road contracts are mounting. The present administration owes contractors about N14 trillion for 2,604 roads of 18,000 kilometres, which was inherited from the last administration. There are fears that the budget for road infrastructure may double. The ministry paid N4 trillion of the N14 trillion owed to contractors constructing various road projects nationwide.