Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has asked the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation to complete the Trade Fair-LASU Gate portion of the Lagos-Badagry Expressway within eight months.
Sanwo-Olu gave the directive during an inspection of the Agboju-Trade Fair section of the expressway noting that the Trade Fair-LASU Gate section, which spans 4.7 kilometres, was the next phase of construction to be carried out on the road.
He said the work would pass through Volkswagen, the military barracks, then from LASU-Iba Junction to LASU Gate.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, the governor said the contractor promised to finish the portion in nine months.
“But we are pushing for delivery within seven to eight months,” Sanwo-Olu said. “This is because we are in the dry season. We want them to push all of the heavy works around drainage and keep the right of way safe, such that by the middle of the year, they should be able to get to the front of LASU Gate.”
Meanwhile, the governor commended CCECC for delivering the Agboju-Trade Fair phase within the timeframe.
He, however, decried the indiscriminate dumping of refuse on the road by residents, urging them to join the government in maintaining public infrastructure.
The governor also warned articulated vehicles against pouring used engine oil on the road.
He said, “They make it unusable and they park their vehicles permanently on the road. A lot of enforcement will continue to come; we will continue to go back there and tow vehicles.
“It is a 10-lane highway; five lanes on either side and it’s supposed to be free-flowing of traffic. We are going to come very strongly; we are sending the message right now; this is a major international highway; you cannot turn it into a refuse dump.
“We will not agree to that; we will come back and clear everybody off the right of way.”
Sanwo-Olu also said that sooner in the year, the BRT corridor would be carved out on the Lagos-Badagry Expressway to ease traffic.
In a similar manner, Sanwo-Olu has assured residents and motorists that the Agege Pen Cinema Flyover bridge will be completed by early July.
The governor gave the assurance while inspecting the work done so far on the bridge on Friday in Agege.
Sanwo-Olu said the bridge had reached 70 per cent completion and that the most difficult part of the construction had been done.
He said, “We are pushing the contractor. We have also been able to drive a lot of commitment from them. So, let us use the dry season to see how we complete this bridge very quickly.
“So, they have given us a commitment — at the end of the second quarter or the beginning of the third quarter — meaning that we should complete this bridge toward the end of June, early July, and all of you will be invited to see the level of development that we have brought to this entire neighbourhood.”
According to the governor, the Agege Pen Cinema flyover, which connects Oba Ogunji Road, where it takes off with Agunbiade on the other side, also has a railway underpass and three abatements, splitting into adjoining streets all around Agege Pen Cinema.
He said at completion, not only would there be an improvement in traffic flow, but real estate value would come back to the entire neighbourhood.
“You could see a better quality of life because it is all geared to ensure we continue to build a smart environment and smart cities,” Sanwo-Olu said.
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