In order to ensure free flow of traffic during the Christmas period, the Federal Government has said that all diversions around construction zones on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway would be opened to motorists from December 15.
This was made known by the Director of the Federal Highways, South West, Funso Adebiyi when he visited truck drivers in Ogere, Ogun State.
While speaking on the journey so far in regard to the completion of the road, Adebiyi said that about 65 kilometres of the road had been completed. He said that 20 kilometres on Section 1 from the Old Toll Gate to Sagamu interchange was being handled by Julius Berger and 45 kilometres on Section 2, from the interchange to Ibadan was being handled by the RCC.
Challenges posed: Adebiyi stressed that the activities of truck drivers on the road had made it almost impossible to reconstruct some sections. He went on to order that the truck drivers should either relocate or move backwards by at least 50 metres from the construction zone.
He said that the RCC also had to suspend work around Ogere due to the presence of articulated vehicles parked illegally on the highway.
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“Government can use force but when we relate as brothers, it is better for us, We started work from Ibadan and got to Ogere and your trucks are parked there. We had to suspend work but the truck drivers are there illegally.
“This entire country is like a construction zone right now but if we do not have access to the site to do this work, the South-West loses out because the money will be channelled into other things,” Adebiyi said.
Although Adebiyi said that the Federal Government wanted to appeal to the truck drivers because it believed that’s a better way of handling the issue, the Ogun Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Clement Oladele, said the corps was ready to apply force if the truck drivers failed to obey the directives.
