The Federal Government has said there is no going back on the four-month planned partial closure of sections of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway for reconstruction despite the concerns raised by motorists.
The Federal Controller of Works in Lagos State, Mr Adedamola Kuti, said on Sunday the planned partial closure starting from August 3 would not be postponed even with the next month’s Sallah holiday trips and other religious activities that would increase traffic on the road.
According to him, the aim is to complete that portion of the road before Christmas when the traffic is expected to be heavier.
“What we are doing is to finish the project before Christmas when more people will be travelling. We are not closing the road totally; we are providing routes where people will follow and once everyone is patient, everything will go well,” he said.
The Ogun Sector Commander of the FRSC, Mr Clement Oladele, said the partial closure of the 1.4 kilometres portion of the road had been postponed before and any further delay would affect its delivery date.
“The project is expected to be delivered by 2021 and any further postponement will affect the date,” he said.
He urged motorists to use alternative routes such as the Lagos-Ota-Itori-Abeokuta and Ikorodu-Sagamu roads during the period.
He stated that the FRSC had made plans to deploy more personnel to the area for 24-hour patrol, while the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority and other security agencies would be available to help with traffic control.
The Director General, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr Muda Yusuf, while welcoming the rehabilitation of the road, said the government needed to start thinking of constructing a new bypass because of the level of development going on around the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
He said, “All over the world, as cities grow, the road network is increased. The capacity of Nigerian roads has been overstretched and there is a need to increase the number of roads.
“Even if they complete the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, there will still be the need for a bypass because of the level of development along that axis. People waste a lot of time there as a result.”
A former Chairman, Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners, Mr Bola Ogunyele, transport operators appreciated the efforts of the government to provide good road but decried “the avoidable inconveniences and anguish drivers, passengers and road users are subjected to during road repairs and reconstruction.”
