Ajirioghene Imah
The Federal Controller of Works, Lagos State, Mr Umar Bakare, has confirmed that the Lagos / lbadan expressway will be completed by May, 2023 going by the speed of work and Contractor’s pledge.
Bakare made this known during the inspection of a section of the project, after a meeting with law enforcement and traffic regulatory agencies stakeholders held at the Julius Berger Yard, Old Toll Gate, on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
Addressing journalists after the inspection, Bakare said that all issues causing obstruction along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway reconstruction and rehabilitation project were discussed and resolved during the meeting.
He added that the stakeholders had deployed strategies that would ensure moving traffic, adding that vehicular traffic could not be completely ruled out at construction points.
According to him, a committee has been set up to see to the early delivery of the highway, stressing that the Federal Government is mindful of the daily pain commuters go through on the highway.
He also assured motorists that extraordinary measures that has been put in place to ease traffic on the Expressway.
The Controller noted that the practical implementation of strategies discussed at the stakeholders meeting was reason for the inspection, and that improvement was already being seen with moving traffic experienced on Friday.
He further stated that the meeting was to reassess efforts and review traffic architecture to reduce stress on road users, adding that the collaboration would continue.
“The section one of the project which spans Ojota in Lagos to Sagamu Interchange is over 93 per cent completed.
“The contractor has improved in the operations over the time. We have increased the locations and areas where we are working. We are doing this because of the time and weather,” he said.
Bakare further appealed for understanding from road users, noting that the pace of work was affected by traffic because the construction sections were in highly populated areas.