Maiduguri residents have appealed to Governor Babagana Zulum for the speedy completion of Borno’s second flyover on the busy Maiduguri-Kano way.
The residents made the appeal in an exclusive interview with Tribune Online on Friday in Maiduguri, the state capital.
Abba Lawal, a tricycle driver said that “We are happy to see that our state government is constructing the second flyover in Maiduguri but the problem is that we are experiencing traffic congestion in the evening, motorists are mostly not patient to going little by little, that causes congestion.
“We are appealing for the state government to quickly address the problem of congestion by finishing the project in due time.
“As for me, time is money, I don’t want to be spending 10 or 15 minutes before getting way to my locality and one liter of fuel is almost 670 naira, I can’t be waiting for my fuel just like that,” he explained.
Another Maiduguri resident, Usman Musa, a motorist said that we are eager to see that the construction of this second flyover is done on time, so that we may have easy access to this busy highway.
“Those coming out from Borno express terminus crossing the road also caused slowed traffic around the area.”
He appealed to Zulum to construct the pedestrian bridge so that it may in reducing the traffic around the area.
Responding to the Permanent Secretary, Borno State Ministry of works, Goni Lawan has assured road users and motorists plying Maiduguri – Kano road that the flyover of the road will be completed in October this year.
Lawan explained that his team is diversifying means of actually taking to alternative routes to ease traffic on the road while construction is ongoing.
He said at the initial stage, his team faced a design challenge which has now been resolved, adding that with the pace of work moving very fast, they are through with every hindrance to the construction of the flyover.
“The duration of the project as per the contract agreement is six months. So far we have spent about three months and hopefully by six months period we are expected to complete the project,” the Permanent Secretary said.
Also speaking, the Principal Resident Engineer for the project, Kori Shettima, said the main reason for the construction of the flyover is to decongest traffic on the road which links Maiduguri to other parts of the country, adding that mornings, evenings and day-to-day running of motorists on the road is usually marred with heavy traffic and that every modern city would want to decongest traffic and make the city beautiful.
Shettima, said,” From the initial design, we changed to a new design of the flyover which is trumpet interchange. In this trumpet interchange, all vehicles plying down from the town to the airport will have a clear run of vehicles. And those from the town to station Kano will run through the top, while those from station Kano who want to ply to the airport, will run on the trumpet interchange. They will go up without colliding with any vehicle. ”
She said every stage of the construction is tested, adding that when completed, the flyover will stand the taste of time.
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