The Director, Federal Highways, South West, Mr Funso Adebiyi, on Tuesday, disclosed that more houses in the right of way beyond 75 in number earlier marked for demolition around the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) axis will be pull down to pave way for the expansion of Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
Adebiyi said this while leading a team of engineers on inspection of the highway which is currently under construction, even as he assured that the government was committed to the speedy completion of the expressway taking advantage of the dry season.
According to him, 75 buildings were earlier marked for demolition around the RCCG axis, saying more was expected to be marked and demolished to pave way for the expansion of the highway.
The Director of Federal Highways, South West, Adebiyi, however, assured that adequate compensations would be paid to owners of properties affected before any demolition exercise commences.
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“We are taking advantage of the weather to fast track the construction process and we are making significant progress.
“We are not leaving any stone unturned, as a matter of fact on some of our sites, we are now working 24/7 to ensure we make significant progress before the rains come.
“Those around Lotto should bear with us, if you see your house marked for demolition it does not mean the end has come, we will not demolish the houses until all compensations are paid. Even if we are to relocate pockets of communities, we will do our best to ensure we move them to a better place,” he said.
While saying that President Muhammadu was committed to the massive reconstruction of highways across the nation, including the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, he pleaded with road users to bear with the government the pockets of discomforts which he said the ministry was working hard to address by obeying road and traffic rules to minimise gridlock.
He also appealed to motorists to observe lane discipline and speed limits around the construction zones as well as ensure that their vehicles were in serviceable condition.
He explained that different layers of quality materials go into the foundation of the construction up till it got to the final layer of 600 mm thickness for durability.
“This layer is the macadam but we are still building to add more layers to get to this drain level to ensure water does not remain on the road. All together the cross-section is about 600 metres thick,” the director said, assuring that there were adequate traffic diversion and enough funding for smooth completion of the project.
Adebiyi also appealed to residents around Lotto on the highway to bear with the government concerning the gridlock challenges, saying such would be controlled by the proposed construction of an interchange.
He also enjoined truck drivers to stop indiscriminate parking on the highway in order to give access for the ongoing construction, disclosing that almost 20 kilometres had so far been completed out of about 43 on Section 1 which spans from Ojota in Lagos to the Sagamu Interchange representing 42 per cent completion.
According to him, 45 kilometres have been completed out of 84 kilometres on Section 2 of the project which spans from Sagamu Interchange to Ojo in Ibadan representing 45 per cent completion.
The Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, Mr Adedamola Kuti, who also spoke on on the section between Beger and Kara under construction which he noted takes heavy traffic, assured that February completion was certain.
He pointed out that materials had been moved close to the 600 metres stretch to ensure speedy completion using the clemency of the weather.
“The February date for that portion is sacrosanct and we are sure we are delivering it,” he assured.
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