By Grace Alegba
The Federal Controller of Works in Lagos State, Mr Umar Bakare, said on Thursday that steps had taken to ease travels on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, especially at construction sites, during the Easter holidays.
Bakare told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on telephone that diversion points created on some sections of the expressway due to ongoing construction had been cleared.
According to him, all crash barriers around OPIC on the Ibadan-bound carriageway had been removed and the area opened up to enable free flow of traffic.
He said that an additional slip road had been created around the Kara Bridge section on the same side to ensure smooth travels out of Lagos.
The controller said the emergency measures were adopted because of some early morning impediments and surge in the vehicular movement outward Lagos.
He said that the construction works around OPIC had advanced, making it easy to quickly open all the four lanes to traffic.
”Three lanes are available and open to traffic around the Kara section for easier passage.
“We woke up to a very heavy traffic this morning occasioned by high volume of people probably travelling out of Lagos, also by multiple breakdown of some vehicles overnight and early this morning, which have since been evacuated.
“However, the traffic persisted, this compelled us to collapse the construction corridor exactly at OPIC; between OPIC and Long Bridge, to allow vehicles use the four lanes.
“Also, the section just after Kara Bridge, outbound Lagos, where work is presently ongoing which cannot be collapsed is reviewed,” he said.
Bakare said that an additional lane adjacent to the expressway was created from an earth road beside that corridor, quickly graded and made available for people to use.
“This has helped in no small measure to dissolve the traffic,’’ he said.
The federal controller said that some of the barriers would be returned to construction zones on April 10, for work to continue after the Easter holiday.
Bakare said there was no fear of gridlock for people who would be returning to the state after the holiday because most of the sections inward Lagos had been completed.
“Already, on the side of OPIC between Long Bridge and Kara Bridge inward Lagos, the barriers have already been shifted because work has been completed. So, we are not expecting much traffic in that area.
“Where we can have some traffic will be toward Berger inward Lagos, where we are presently working, and we will work to create more space for people returning from their various travels to be able to enter Lagos without much discomfort,’’ he said. (NAN)
