Commuters of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway have urged the federal government to adopt the necessary measures to lessen traffic on the road after contractors resume work on the site following the Festive period. Workers who had resumed back to the site were reportedly seen between Kara and OPIC on the Lagos-bound side of Section One of the expressway, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). Some areas were being removed with earth-moving machinery while new building materials were laid on other areas.
There were Federal Roads Safety Corps and TRACE personnel directing traffic at the U-turn at the OPIC/Fatgbems gas station. The Lagos-bound traffic on the highway was flowing slowly at the time of the report. A number of drivers had complained about the one-hour wait they were subjected to due to the congestion that ensued when contractors resumed their work at the site. Commuters have both praised the speed with which work was resumed and stressed the need to reduce the adverse effects that traffic congestion near construction sites may have on their daily routines.
Julius Berger should utilize recyclable materials to fill trouble spots.
Commercial bus driver Mr Osas Idohasa, who travels the Ikeja-Ojodu and Wawa-Arepo routes, also expressed his appreciation for the prompt restart of construction and called for immediate action to be taken to ease traffic congestion. In order to cut down on income and time wasted, Idohasa has resolved to always check traffic conditions along the Wawa-Arepo axis of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway before transporting passengers. Mr Tirimisiu Adigun, a commercial motorcyclist who travels Beger-Arepo, argued for the need to build detours to reduce traffic and improve safety on the highway.
Furthermore, Mr Suleiman Alabi, a tipper driver at Fatgbems Bus Stop, urges Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, the company in charge of the Lagos – Ibadan Expressway, to contribute to the community by utilizing recyclable building materials to fix trouble spots along the highway to enhance the driving experience. He also requested that the government direct Julius Berger to improve the condition of the other lane between Wawa and Fatgbems. Ibafo locals have voiced concerns that illicit activity is being perpetuated as a result of the traffic jams between Berger and the Long Bridge and have called for effective measures to alleviate the traffic jams and improve road safety.
Plans for the remaining permanent work are being developed.
Mr. Umar Bakare, Federal Controller of Works in Lagos State, said that repairs between Kara and Long Bridge were under progress. Bakare, who oversees Section One from Ojota in Lagos to Sagamu Interchange, said alternate routes around OPIC and Isheri will be upgraded to reduce congestion. According to him, when construction is moved to the lanes heading into Ibadan, the adjacent Isheri Road that passes in front of OPIC will be improved and made motorable to ease the traffic overflow created by the diversions.
Bakare claims that the roads near CMD Road, next to the Otedola Bridge Section of the highway, would also be made motorable to facilitate travel. On the Lagos-bound side, between the Long Bridge and Kara, however, he indicated that alternate routes couldn’t be built since that section had the right of way for gas pipelines. Plans for the remaining permanent work are being developed in collaboration with the traffic management plan and other stakeholders such as the police, the Federal Roads Safety Corps, and the traffic management organizations in Ogun and Lagos States, LATMA and TRACE.
Gov’t is committed to meet up with the scheduled completion date.
He also said that talks are underway with the Lagos State transportation, works, and infrastructure ministries, and announcements about our road network activities would be made frequently. This, he noted, is seen as a way to assist in educating the public about the true nature of labour and entertainment. Bakare indicated that the main road would be prioritized during the building of the Lotto interchange bridge to let vehicles go about in the meanwhile. He underlined the government’s commitment to the first quarter of 2023’s completion schedule for sections one and two, which, respectively, are slated to run from Ojota in Lagos State to the Sagamu Interchange and from the Sagamu Interchange to Ojoo in Ibadan.
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