Key Highlights
- The Federal Government suspended construction on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway from June 27 to aid the free flow of traffic during the forthcoming Eid-el-Kabir festivities.
- The Federal Controller of Works said the decision to suspend construction was due to the recent heavy traffic flow on the Lagos-Shagamu route “in the last couple of days”, inclement weather conditions, and the forthcoming Eid Kabir.
- She said that construction activities will resume by Monday, July 3, 2023.
The Federal Government has announced the suspension of construction works on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway to aid the free flow of traffic during the forthcoming Eid-el-Kabir festivities this week.
This will come as a huge relief to commuters, who have been going through harrowing experiences with several hours spent in the gridlock on that axis due to the ongoing construction.
This disclosure is contained in a press statement issued by the Federal Controller of Works, Lagos. Mrs. Olukorede Kesha, on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing (Works Sector), on Monday, June 26, 2023, where she noted that construction work on the busy highway would be suspended from Tuesday, June 27 to Sunday, July 2.
Kesha said the decision to suspend construction was due to the recent heavy traffic flow on the Lagos-Shagamu route “in the last couple of days”, inclement weather conditions, the forthcoming Eid Kabir and the advice of the traffic management team deployed to manage traffic-related issues on the project.
What the Federal Controller of Works is saying
Kesha, who advised travellers to cooperate with Traffic Management Team deployed on the highway to manage traffic, said that construction activities will resume by Monday, July 3, 2023.
The statement partly reads, ‘’Construction activities will resume by Monday, 3rd of July, 2023.
- ‘’Due to the recent heavy traffic flow being experienced on the Lagos Shagamu route in the last couple of days, the inclement weather conditions, the forthcoming Eid Kabir & the advice of the traffic management team deployed to manage traffic related issues on the project, Construction activities on this ever busy & very important highway will be suspended from Tuesday, 27th of June to Sunday,2nd of July,2023.
- ‘’This is to allow travellers easy passage during the Eid holiday & minimise the discomfort during this very important period.
- ‘’Travelers are advised to cooperate with Traffic Management Team deployed on the highway to manage traffic.’’
- ‘’Wishing everyone happy Eidel Kabir celebrations .’’
What you should know
- The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) had on Sunday, June 18, 2023, announced a fresh diversion of traffic on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway due to the ongoing rehabilitation and reconstruction works on the highway.
- There were recent reports that motorists plying the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway inward the Ibafo-Mowe, Ogun State axis were again grounded by traffic in the past few days due to the ongoing reconstruction of the expressway.
- 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 commission 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.