The federal government on Thursday removed barriers at the construction area on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway to ease vehicular movement ahead of the Easter
Recall that traffic has been narrowed around the Kara Bridge outbound Lagos, causing daily traffic snarls for travelers.
The gridlock has worsened in recent times, compounding the usual gridlock in and around Lagos metropolis.
According to Daily Trust, many travelers were stranded on Thursday in the gridlock extending to Alapere as early as 10:30 am.
The Federal Controller of Works in Lagos State, Mr Umar Bakare, stated that diversion points created on some sections of the expressway due to ongoing construction had been cleared.
He said 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.
He said, “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 a 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.
He however disclosed that some of the barriers would be returned to construction zones on April 10, for work to continue after the Easter holiday.
Daily Trust reports that the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has promised that the federal government would complete the construction works on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway this month.
