Federal Government on Saturday said the 600meter section of Lagos-Ibadan Expressway between Kara and Ojodu-Berger Bus Stop would be officially opened for traffic by 12noon on Sunday, the total reconstruction having been completed.
The Controller, South-West, Federal Ministry of Works, Engr Adedamola Kuti, made this disclosure when the minister, Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola, who was represented by his Senior Special on Media, Mr.Hakeem Bello, was on inspection of the completed section.
Addressing newsmen after the inspection, Kuti, also disclosed that the main corridor of the Lagos- Ibadan Expressway would be ready and delivered by the end of 2021, with the entire project, fully fixed with a flyover, interchange, toll plazas and the rest would be ready in 2022.
The completed section between Kara and Ojodu- Berger, was commenced in the middle of January and took about six weeks for it to be ready, with the controller describing it as a promise made and kept.
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”We are just on the final inspection of the completed section of Kara end of the bridge towards Ojodu- Berger Bus Stop. This section was started in the middle of January and we promised Nigerians that by the end of February, we should be able to complete this end of the road and the section has been completed today, end of February, so it is promise made and it is promise kept,” he said, even as he urged Nigerians to continue to give their support to the federal government to enable it to deliver on its promise.
”The Honourable Minister wants me to urge Nigerians to continue to give support to the ministry.
“Like the issue of this road, this is a total reconstruction, a reconstruction work for some of you who must have been with us. You’ve been monitoring the activities and progress on this road, you have seen that in our reconstruction work, we got to the foundation of the road up to as much as 1.5meters deep and building up from there and of course expanding the road. This is what you have seen now,” he said.
According to him: “The particular section has been constructed with drainages on both sides,” even as he identified with Nigerians on the sufferings they had been passing through due to heavy traffic while the reconstruction was going on.
“We have also taken into consideration the sufferings our people have been going through. This is about the biggest road in Africa, the suffering is not unexpected, traffic on this first section can be tasking.
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”However, the ministry is very very mindful and the minister is on everybody’s neck and he has assured Nigerians that this project would be completed in 2022 and by 2021, we planned to finish the entire corridor. It would be completed in 2021.
“By 2022, we should be able to complete those additional ones that were not originally part of the project but have been introduced. Additional ones such as under passing and flyover, interchange, toll plazas and the rest of them, those are the ones that would drag us into 2022. But by the end of 2021, the main corridor would be completed,” Engnr Kuti said.
Meanwhile, a group under the aegis of First Lagos, with members comprising of drivers, artisans, among others, was at the inspection site to demonstrate their appreciation to the federal government for putting up the road which is described to be of world standard.
Leader of the group, Mr Femi Johnson, who spoke with newsmen, maintained that the body represented Lagos interest and its government, particularly on the issues of security, even as he enjoined members to be law-abiding and make proper use of the road.
“In relation to the road. You talk about the construction, it is very super. Nothing that Fashola does that is not unique, we really really appreciate Engnr Kuti. And the way the road is being done, it’s of the same standard you see in the Western World,” he said.
”My advice to our members is that we should be law-abiding, make sure that we don’t obstruct the road, make sure we do not litter the road because littering the road is one of the things that damaged the road,” he said.
