The Lagos State Government on Monday flagged off the
reconstruction of the Oshodi-International Airport Road, with a pledge to
complete the project within the next fifteen months.
The State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode had last month at
the quarterly Town Hall Meeting held in Badore area of Ajah, announced that the
reconstruction of the road, which is a major gateway to the country, would
commence in September, and that the construction would facilitate the
transformation of the road to a world class standard.
Specifically, the design of the project include the
reconstruction and expansion of the existing carriage to three-lane Expressway
on both directions, construction of two-lane Service Road in both directions,
construction of Ramp Bridge to provide a U-turn from Ajao Estate to Airport,
construction of a flyover at NAHCO/Toll Gate and drainage works.
Others include the removal of existing Pedestrian Bridge
at Ajao Estate and construction of Pedestrian Bridges at Ajao Estate and
NAHCO/Hajj Camp, construction of Slip Road to provide access to Ajao Estate,
construction of Lay-bys and installation of Street Lights, among others.
Speaking while flagging off the project, the State’s
Commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure Development, Engr Adebowale
Akinsanya said the commencement of the project was in line with the commitment
of the present administration to transform the entire axis, being the major
gateway to the country’s commercial nerve centre.
He said the State Government took it upon itself to
undertake the reconstruction of the road being one of the busiest roads in the
State with vehicular volumes averaging 50,000 vehicles daily, and that its poor
state was not acceptable for the status of the State as the fifth largest
economy in Africa and the nation’s commercial hub.
He said some of the fences along the corridor have been
identified to be within the right of way, but that government would minimize
the impact of the project on property owners.
He said in order to properly carry along people of the
area, a stakeholders’ meeting will hold on Thursday to sensitize the people
whereby they will have an opportunity to ask the necessary questions.
He said to fast-track the project, three group of workers
will work on the project and they would work day and night, while upon
completion, the project will be linked to the Oworonshoki reclamation project,
which is also ongoing and is aimed at transforming the corridor to a major
entertainment and tourism hub.
The Commissioner, however, urged residents and motorists
to cooperate with government while the construction will last, saying that the
intention was to transform the area.
“There will be some minor inconveniences but we are going
to try to mitigate the impact. The work will be accelerated. The project is to
make life easier for everybody. We just want to appeal to people to cooperate
with us. We will be here to talk to the people in case of any issue and we are
also working with our partner, the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria
(FAAN),” the Commissioner said.
Also speaking, Managing Director of Planet Projects, the
firm that designed the project, Mr. Biodun Otunola said prior to the
commencement of the construction, adequate feasibility studies were carried
out, and that the project, upon completion, would facilitate total
transformation of Oshodi and International Airport corridor.
He said in as much as there would not be alternative
roads created specifically for the project, adequate measures have been put in
place to educate the public on the staging that would be developed, saying that
the project would be executed in phases, while motorists will make use of other
sections of the road during construction work on a particular section.
Otunola, whose company is also handling the construction
of the Oshodi Transport Interchange, said by the time the road project and the
interchange are completed, the whole axis would have been transformed to world
class standard.
“The desire of the State Government under Governor Ambode
is to ensure that this whole corridor is turned into an international corridor
so that investors and the people can be proud that we have an international
gateway that we all can be proud of.
“We are not just building roads, we are thinking of the
transportation implication and so there is a bus reform project that is ongoing
and every part of Lagos will be connected by bus and that is why this road
project will be linked to the Oshodi interchange. So, there will be about 20
lay-bys, bus terminals and so on which are all flowing from the same Master
plan for this area,” he said.
Tags
Business