Between Load Testing and Abia’s Funny Osisioma Flyover Test Running

My friend Onyebuchi Ememanka, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Abia State has made a follow-up post to justify his earlier claim that the government opened one lane of the Osisioma Flyover for the purpose of Test Running the flyover. He tried to present some of us as being ignorant of what Test Running of a flyover means, unfortunately, his message failed, just as his facts remain incorrect.

Buchi is educated, but there’s a difference between education and knowledge of a specific field of leadership. If I were in his shoes, I would seek the guidance of engineers before putting up such a post, so that my information will be comprehensive, and contain the required terminology for effective communication.

First, you don’t Test Run a flyover, rather you do Load Testing on a flyover.

Secondly, a flyover is not made open for all vehicles during Load Testing, hence certain heavy duty trucks are brought in to drive on and also park on top of the flyover as part of the Load Testing.
In the case of the Osisioma flyover, motorists and pedestrians were just using the flyover unrestrained, without the supervision of experts, because there was no Load Testing in the real sense of it.

Thirdly, Weighing machines, Engineers and other experts in the field of construction play different roles during Load Testing on a flyover. The statement issued by Ememanka never contained any of the above mentioned details, because they never took place.

I think the Test Running that took place was the type we saw at the collapsed Faulks road, so my man should allow us to laugh in peace, after all, we are all children of Kinetic Abia.

~ Ferdinand Ekeoma