- FRSC announces traffic diversion on Lagos-Ibadan expressway due to ongoing rehabilitation and reconstruction works.
- Traffic from Isheri Olowora diverted to pass through Babcock College or Ojodu to link the expressway and drive into Lagos.
- FRSC Corps Marshal urges patience and cooperation from motorists along the route, assuring hassle-free movement.
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has announced a fresh diversion of traffic on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway due to the ongoing rehabilitation and reconstruction works on the highway.
This disclosure is contained in a statement issued on Sunday, June 18, 2023, by the FRSC Corps Public Education Officer, Bisi Kazeem, where he stated that In continuation of the ongoing rehabilitation of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, the traffic has been diverted from linking the expressway at New Garage Lagos.
Diversion points
The statement partly reads,
- “Traffic from Isheri Olowora passing through River Valley Estate to link the expressway inward to Lagos has been diverted to pass through Babcock College, opposite Enyo filling station to link the expressway and drive into Lagos.
- “Alternatively, they could pass through Ojodu and make a U-turn in front of FRSC Ojodu to link the expressways at BRT Bus-stop.”
Kazeem said the FRSC Corps Marshal, Dauda Biu, has directed the FRSC Commands along the corridor to ensure hassle-free movement of commuters.
- The statement added, “FRSC Corps Marshal, Dauda Ali Biu while directing the FRSC Commands along the corridor to ensure minimum hardship on behalf of commuters also enjoins the motoring public along the route to exercise maximum patience and cooperate with the law enforcement agencies along the said routes.’’
What you should know
- The Lagos–Ibadan Expressway project, which has faced a series of delays and setbacks, is a 127.6-kilometer-long expressway connecting Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, and Lagos, Nigeria’s largest city.
- The expressway is the major route to the northern, southern, and eastern parts of Nigeria, in addition to being the busiest inter-state route in the country, handling over 250,000 Passenger Car Units (PCUs) daily. It constitutes one of the largest road networks in Africa.
- The contract was awarded to Julius Berger Nigeria and Reynolds Construction Company Limited at a sum of N167 billion.
- The Federal Government had earlier said that the Lagos-Ibadan expressway will be completed by the end of April, a development that was supposed to be a huge relief to motorists and commuters.
- However, in March 2023, it stated that the recent fuel scarcity and cash shortages were unforeseen factors that have stalled the completion of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.
- The immediate past government had shifted the commissioning of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway to President Bola Tinubu as against the earlier plan of having former President Muhammadu Buhari commissioned the project before he left office.
- The government attributed the change of plans to the delay in the non-completion of a critical section in the 4-kilometer last mile to Lagos due to the discovery of black-cutting soil under the pavement.