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| A section of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport road |
The Lagos State Government on Monday flagged off the reconstruction
of a 10-lane Oshodi-International Airport Road, with a pledge to
complete the project within the next 15 months.
The state Commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure Development, Mr
Adebowale Akinsanya, said at the ceremony that the project was in line
with the state government’s commitment to transform the entire axis.
Akinsanya said that 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 average of 50,000 vehicles daily.
According to him, the poor state of the road is not acceptable for
the status of the state as the fifth largest economy in Africa and the
nation’s commercial hub.
Akinsanya said some of the fences along the corridor had been
identified to be within the right of way, adding that government would
minimise the impact of the project on property owners.
“To fast-track the project, three groups of workers will work on the
project and they will work day and night, while upon completion, the
project will be linked to the Oworonshoki Reclamation Project, which is
also ongoing,” he said.
The commissioner said that a stakeholders’ meeting would hold on Thursday to sensitise people of the area about the project.
He urged the residents and motorists to cooperate with the state
government while the construction would last, saying that the intention
was to transform the area.
“There will be some minor inconveniences, but we are going 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),” Akinsanya said.
Also, Mr Biodun Otunola, the Managing Director of Planet Projects,
the firm that designed the project, said that prior to the commencement
of the construction, adequate feasibility studies were carried out.
Otunola said that the project, upon completion, would facilitate
total transformation of Oshodi and International Airport corridor.
The managing director said that in as much as there would not be
alternative roads created specifically for the project, adequate
measures had been put in place to educate the public on the staging that
would be developed.
He said that the project would be executed in phases, while motorists
would make use of other sections of the road during construction work
on a particular section.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the project designs
include reconstruction and expansion of the existing carriage to a
three-lane expressway on both directions, construction of a two-lane
service roads in both directions.
They are construction of a 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.
