The Federal Government on Tuesday appealed for further understanding and support of road users as work resumed on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway reconstruction/rehabilitation project.
The Federal Controller of Works in Lagos State, Mr Umar Bakare, made the appeal while monitoring resumed work and laying of crash barriers along construction zones between OPIC and Berger, on the Lagos-bound lane.
Work was suspended on the expressway days back in anticipation of the return of many holiday makers who would make use of the highway on their way back to their destinations.
Their return was expected to increase traffic on the road, hence the decision to remove barriers at the zone and suspend reconstruction work to ease traffic.
A NAN correspondent who took a trip on the highway on Tuesday morning reports that workmen were using heavy duty equipment to return crash barriers on the OPIC section on the Lagos-bound carriageway.
Earth moving equipment and other equipment were also seen grading and carrying out other construction activities.
Officials of TRACE turned back commercial vehicles who were driving through the construction area to the main carriageway around OPIC.
Also, FRSC officials were seen at Berger New Garage Section directing motorists and enforcing proper parking by commercial vehicles.
The controller told NAN that traffic architecture was reviewed and impediments around Berger end were removed in collaboration with traffic regulatory and law enforcement agencies.
Bakare said this was to ensure free flow of traffic to prevent build up around the construction zones between OPIC and Kara on the Lagos-bound carriageway.
He explained that commercial vehicles that usually picked and dropped passengers around Berger usually slowed down movement.
This, he said, reduced the capacity of the road, hence the move to create alternatives for them.
“We have created barriers in some areas to keep them in check,” he said.
Bakare appealed to road users to be patient with the construction, imbibe lane discipline and obey traffic laws, to prevent gridlock.
He assured that the construction work on the section between Kara and OPIC would be completed within 20 days with less traffic impact and minimal stress to road users.
Earlier, a Federal Ministry of Works engineer, Adewale Adebote, supervising section one of the project, told NAN that the whole of Monday was spent reviewing traffic designs, leading to creation of an emergency motor park.
He said a portion of land used by the contractor as yard for construction at New Garage in Berger was used for the park to ease pressure on commercial vehicles on the main carriageway.
“About three days ago, the traffic from that place backlogged up till Wawa, that is why we had to quickly take action,” the engineer said.
Adebote said that more space was also provided for vehicles at the construction zone at OPIC to allow faster flow of vehicles.
“I have asked them (workmen) to make the space wide to conveniently take two trailers,” he said.
He said construction work would be done to motorable layer simultaneously at Kara and OPIC sections so that vehicles could use them pending final layers that would be administered on the entire section.
“This construction will not cause gridlock,” Adebote assured.
NAN
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