Beginning today—September 2, 2019--the Lagos-Ibadan expressway will be partially closed to traffic.
12 things to know as Lagos-Ibadan expressway is closed to traffic
If you are going to be using the Lagos-Ibadan expressway between September and October, this article is very important for you.
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The Lagos-Ibadan expressway is Nigeria’s busiest stretch of road. Its partial closure for two months is likely to result in a lot of pain for thousands of motorists and commuters alike.
Motorists heading into and leaving Lagos—Nigeria’s commercial capital—could make do with the following information while the closure lasts:
1..This closure is long overdue. The partial closure was earlier billed to begin on August 3, 2019 but was postponed to September 2 because of the Sallah celebrations.
2..Julius Berger is the construction company in charge of the Lagos-Sagamu end of the expressway.
3..The federal government says it intends to conclude work on the road by Christmas.
4..The Lagos-Ibadan expressway, which has been under construction like forever, is only 40 percent complete, according to the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, Mr. Adedamola Kuti.
5..Kuti told the press this week that it is taking this long to finish the road in the Buhari dispensation because the federal government had included some features which were missing from the old design.
He listed the additional features to include underpasses, footbridges, flyovers, toll plazas and road expansion.
6..The portion of the road set for reconstruction is the Berger Bus Stop to Kara Bridge section.
Kuti says: “We are starting from towards the end of the Bridge. Those who are leaving Lagos, we will restrict them to their lane while those who are coming into Lagos, we will move them to the inner-bound lane after which we can now secure the construction zone”.
7..According to the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), movement from Kara Bridge inward Berger will be sealed off while traffic will be diverted into the other parts of the road going out of Lagos.
8..You can look at the travel advisory below for some guidance in the weeks ahead:
9..Ms. Bisi Sonusi who is the FRSC Acting Sector Public Education Officer says the command will be partnering with other traffic control agencies to manage traffic while the closure lasts.
10..According to Sonusi, if everyone behaves themselves, no one will spend hours in painful traffic.
“Vehicles will be diverted to the other side, but we have a lot of traffic control personnel on the road.
“They are to ensure sanity and lane discipline so that no one will waste time unnecessarily on the road in and out of Lagos.
“The main thing is for motorists to maintain their lanes. If they maintain their lanes, everyone will be able to move in and out of the state. It is a moving traffic. It is not a bad situation.
"There are diversion signs that need to be obeyed,” the FRSC official said.
11..Sonusi said that so many traffic agents comprising officers from the FRSC, Police, LASTMA and TRACE will be on the ground to enforce compliance with diversion signs and lane discipline.
“For any obstruction occasioned by break down of vehicles, we have FRSC tow trucks on ground and will be complemented by that of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency.
“We will remove all impediments so that people do not spend too much time on the road.
“We are assuring motorists that they will not sleep on the road because everything that is needed to be done is in place,” she added.
12..The Lagos-Ibadan expressway will be re-opened to traffic on October 31, 2019.
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