Commuters on Thursday feared that gridlock may return to the Lagos-Ibadan expressway as construction resumed around the Long Bridge section of the road.
Commuters heading towards Lagos had to slow down from the Warewa section of the road en route to the Long Bridge, the report said.
On the road, there were also active construction workers and machines.
A commercial driver, who identified himself as Baba Jide, while travelling towards Mowe, said it was likely that gridlock could build up by the time he would be returning to Lagos.
“With what I’m seeing, they are already dividing the road; gridlock is inevitable. It could be difficult for me when I am taking passengers back to Lagos,” Baba Jide told Punch Media.
Efe Chibuzor, a passenger, expressed concern to a reporter about the potential return of last year’s gridlock.
Efe said, “This is giving off last year’s vibe. We may experience gridlock again. Let’s keep watching, but this is worrisome.”
However, a commuter who spoke under anonymity insisted that the road’s completion was essential.
“Let them complete the road once and for all, although I thought they were done, especially with the installation of the streetlights. It’s all looking good from Lagos. But this means they are not done,” the commuter said.
Meanwhile, the Ogun State Sector Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps confirmed that construction resumed on the road on Thursday morning.
The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, the FRSC, the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps, and the police have deployed traffic officers to manage traffic on the road, according to Florence Okpe, the agency’s spokesperson.
Also, in the statement titled ‘Planned re-installation of the expansion joints on the Long Bridge by Julius Berger Nigeria,’ the FRSC said, “Sequel to the earlier publication made by the Federal Ministry of Works on the planned re-installation of the expansion joints on the Long Bridge on both sections of the Lagos-Ibadan Motorway, the preliminary work has commenced.”
“The exercise commenced this Thursday morning with the division of each section of the Long Bridge with concrete barriers. The goal is to establish two lanes for both the work zone and vehicular traffic on the expressway. The FRSC operatives, police, LASTMA, and TRACE have been deployed for traffic management,” the statement added.
Last August, the Federal Government stated that the weather conditions that characterised the rainy season were making the timely completion of work on the expressway difficult.
The South-West Zonal Director of Highways, Federal Ministry of Works, Adedamola Kuti, said this in an interview with Punch Media. Meanwhile, the work progressed to a significant stage as the year rounded off.
In February this year, motorists plying the road commended the FG for the installation of streetlights in the Long Bridge area and called for the extension to all sections of the motorway.
The installation of streetlights along the Kara-Warewa stretch of the Long Bridge. Reporters noted the installation of some streetlights within a stretch, with the installation continuing from the Long Bridge area inward to Kara.
