Sanwo-Olu, Oyebanji commission Red Line Oyingbo overpass bridge

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has commissioned the Lagos Rail Mass Transit (LRMT) Red Line, Oyingbo Overpass Bridge, saying that the bridge is second of the four that the state government had “constructed to ensure the safety of lives and uninterrupted flow of vehicular traffic at level crossings along the Red Line.”

Governor Sanwo-Olu said this on Sunday while speaking at the official unveiling of the project performed by the Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Abiodun Oyebanji.

Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, was among the dignitaries that attended the ceremony which took place at the Oyingbo area of the state.

The governor, who expressed the profound appreciation of the government and the good people of Lagos to Governor Oyebanji for his presence to commission the Oyingbo Overpass bridge, noted that with these overpass bridges, the state government was providing a permanent solution to the avoidable fatal accidents often recorded at railway crossings.

It would be recalled that Sanwo-Olu last Thursday commissioned the Lagos Rail Mass Transit (LRMT) Red Line Yaba Overpass Bridge.

“I would like to start by expressing the profound appreciation of the government and the good people of Lagos State to my dear brother, His Excellency, Mr. Abiodun Oyebanji, Governor of Ekiti State for honouring us with his presence to commission the Oyingbo Overpass bridge; the second of the four that we have constructed to ensure the safety of lives and uninterrupted flow of vehicular traffic at level crossings along the Red Line. With these overpass bridges, we are providing a permanent solution to the avoidable fatal accidents often recorded at railway crossings.

“Just about three days ago, I commissioned the Lagos Rail Mass Transit (LRMT) Red Line Yaba Overpass Bridge. That bridge is already serving the intended purpose with significant improvement of traffic flow around Yaba,” Governor Sanwo-Olu said.

Today, we are also opening the LRMT Red Line Oyingbo Overpass Bridge here in Oyingbo, famous for being a thriving centre of commerce.

Oyingbo has a rich history that dates back to the early 1920s when the famous Oyingbo market was established as a depot for agricultural produce. The market gradually expanded due to developments around the Oyingbo, Ebute Metta and Lagos Mainland regions,” he added.

The governor pointed out that his administration was investing so much in the provision of transport infrastructure that would support commerce and enhance ease of movement, given the importance of Oyingbo as a major link between the mainland and the Island.

According to him, the state government is investing so much in the provision of transport infrastructure that will support commerce and enhance ease of movement, saying that “part of the infrastructure is the Yaba Bus Terminal, which unfortunately, was torched by arsonists alongside over 50 new high-capacity buses during the EndSARS protest.

“Today, we have risen from the ashes of those dark days as we forge ahead in the development of our transport infrastructure.

“Here in Oyingbo, we also have the Oyingbo Train station of the Lagos Rail Mass Transit Red Line. The siting of this infrastructure in this area is strategic and intentional to achieve a seamless integrated intermodal transport system for the people.

“As the Federal Ministry of Transport commences the rehabilitation of the Third Mainland Bridge and the total overlay of its pavement, this bridge will provide a lot of relief to motorists,” he said.

Governor Sanwo-Olu, therefore, used the opportunity to appeal to motorists to exercise patience and cooperate with traffic and law enforcement officers in order to minimize the inconvenience that would be experienced during the period of the rehabilitation.

“I will, therefore, use this opportunity to appeal to our motorists to exercise patience and cooperate with traffic and law enforcement officers in order to minimize the inconvenience that will be experienced during the period of the rehabilitation,” he said.

Speaking at the commissioning, Governor Oyebanji, who is the special guest of honour, lauded Governor Sanwo-Olu on the project and for making Lagos a model for transformation, saying that the day’s event was made possible “when you have a governor with a vision of building on the programmes of his predecessors.”

This was just as he asserted that Ekiti State where he presides over has also been having back-to-back government, saying that he had also been carrying on and following the footsteps of his predecessors in office, including the immediate former Governor Kayode Fayemi.

Oyebanji declared pointedly that Sanwo-Olu’s achievements across the state were visible, even as he also declared that the Lagos State governor to many of them was a mentor.

The governor, who disclosed that commissioners from Ekiti State had been coming to Lagos State for peer review in order to replicate developmental projects in the state, thanked Governor Sanwo-Olu, and further described him as a man of excellence from state of excellence, adding: “Very soon, we would be inviting you to Ekiti State.”

He urged Lagos residents to treasure the path that had been set by Governor Sanwo-Olu and drive on the progressive lane of the government so that people can benefit from the projects, just as he advised the people to jealously guard the project, warning them against reversal of the good deeds of the Lagos State government.

Managing Director, Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), Abimbola Akinajo, said that the Lagos Rail Mass Transit (LRMT) Red Line Oyingbo Overpass Bridge was important to move traffic into other parts of the mainland and Island Lagos.

The LAMATA boss said that the Oyingbo Overpass Bridge is the third of the five bridges built over the LRMT Red Line Corridor by the state government to separate vehicular/pedestrian and train traffic, as well as eliminate incessant accidents on railway level crossings.

She disclosed that there were 10 level crossings identified along the LRMT Red Line rail corridor, over which overpass bridges should be built, adding that five were allocated to the Lagos State government and five others to the Federal Ministry of Transport.

Akinajo informed that the infrastructure to support the operation of the LRMT Red Line rail were already in place with stations and rail platforms built at Oyingbo, Yaba, Mushin, Oshodi, Ikeja, Agege and Iju, adding that the system was ready for test operation.

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