Nigeria, Sept. 29 -- Nigeria's annual flooding has once again exposed a problem that goes far beyond the rising waters. Across cities, towns and rural communities, floods have revealed the alarming condition of roads and streets that, in many cases, appear incapable of withstanding even the pressures of ordinary rainfall.

What should ordinarily be a temporary environmental challenge has increasingly become a transportation and infrastructure crisis. Roads are washed away, asphalt surfaces collapse, potholes become craters, drainage channels are blocked or poorly designed, and entire stretches of streets become impassable. For motorists, commuters, traders and residents, the consequences are immediate: damaged vehicles, longer travel tim...