Lagos completes 450 roads in three years

The Lagos State Government on Wednesday said that it has completed the construction and rehabilitation of 450 major roads and 50 other impactful projects in the last three years to make life comfortable and build a sustainable environment for residents and visitors.

Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Engr. Adebowale Akinsanya, at the Ministerial Press Briefing at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre in Alausa on the activities marking the third year anniversary of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode administration, said aside the completed projects, several others were at various stages of completion and would contribute to the vision to make Lagos emerge as Africa’s model smart city and global economic and financial hub.

 “In the course of the three years, we have vigorously pursued the maintenance of existing roads, the rehabilitation and expansion of highways, as well as the construction of new bridges.

“Roughly for the last three years, if you look at the major road projects and others we have embarked on and completed, I can conveniently reveal that we have done between 450 and 500 and we still have a lot in stock for the people. In terms of the ongoing, we have about 60 or 70 projects,” Akinsanya said.

Giving a list of some of the road projects completed in the last one year, Akinsanya said the State Government delivered pedestrian bridges, laybys and slip road at Ojodu Berger; delivered the Jubilee Bridge and adjourning roads at Abule Egba; constructed Jubilee flyover at Ajah and replaced the Ajah roundabout with signalized intersection and also rehabilitated Freedom Road and Admiralty Road in Lekki; completed 21 Lagos-Ogun boundary roads with two bridges; constructed Aradagun-Iworo-Ajido Bridge in Badagry; rehabilitated and upgraded arterial roads in Epe and Omotayo Banwo/Kola Iyaomolere Road, as well as Alapere Road and Junction Improvement Works in Ketu, five new pedestrian bridges, among others.

The Commissioner also listed some of the ongoing projects to include Odo-Ottin-Mojoda (Epe-Ijebu-Ode Road); Poka-Araga Road, Busola Durosi-Etti Road in Eti-Osa; Ladipo Street, Alhaji Akinwunmi Street and Obagun Avenue in Mushin; Irede Road in Amuwo-Odofin; Aradagun-Imeke-Iworo-Ajido-Epe Road with bridge; Airport Road in Ikeja; network of roads in Soluyi Community in Kosofe; Igbogbo-Bola Ahmed Tinubu-Igbe Road in Ikorodu; Ilaje Road and Odunsi Street in Somolu; Agric-Isawo-Konu-Arepo to link Lagos-Ibadan Expressway; flyover and signalized intersections at Pen Cinema in Agege; facility management/maintenance and beatification of Lekki Expressway; J.K Randle Centre for Yoruba History and Culture and nine additional footbridges, among others.

Besides, the Commissioner listed the newly awarded projects to include Remi Oyefiade Street, Eti Osa; Happy Home-Alahun Ozumba Link Road, Kirikiri; Ifebajo Street, Amuwo-Odofin; Maiyegun Road, Ojo; Orisigun/Dada Aga Street, Ajelogo, Mile 12 Road in Kosofe; Omolara Badaru/Taiwo, Odekunle/Maridon Street and Bolaji Taylor/Kayode Alabi Streets in Ifako-Ijaiye; Social Science Road, Unilag Estate, Magodo Phase I in Kosofe; Adeyemi Thomas Street in Agbowa-Ikosi; replacement of the worn-out steel pedestrian bridge at Fadeyi; construction of Eko Parks in Onikan which consists of the Lagos Museum, Lagos Heritage Centre for Leadership, Lagos Historical Centre, 55ft Eyo Statue; and the upgrading of Onikan Stadium.

Akinsanya said the phase one of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lane from Oshodi to Abule Egba was now at 55 per cent completion stage, and that government was working towards delivering it between September and October this year, while the Multi-Agency Office Complex in Alausa was also progressing well.

He said towards improving on the achievements recorded so far, the State Government was putting plans together to implement 10 major projects in 2018 including construction of 4th Mainland Bridge, Opebi-Ikorodu Road/3rd Mainland axis link bridge, dualisation of Lekki-Epe Expressway from Eleko Junction to T-Junction in Epe, upgrading of Adeniji Adele Road, Agboyi Ketu Road, Ishefun-Camp Davis Road, Oke-Ira-Nla-Saliu Obodo/Mojeed Road, Glover Memorial Hall and expansion of Lagos-Badagry Expressway (Okokomaiko-Seme Boarder segment).

Also speaking on activities of Lagos State Public Works Corporation (LSPWC) in the last one year, Special Adviser to the Governor on Public Works and Drainages, Engr Temidayo Erinle said the corporation carried out major rehabilitation works on 31 roads out of which 23 were completed, seven ongoing and one just approved for execution.

He said palliative work including patching and sectional over-lay were carried out on 115 roads, while in order to curtail flooding, the government introduced an initiative for clearing and maintenance of all primary outfall, secondary and tertiary drainage channels across the State out of which ten major ones are being been attended to.

On her part, General Manager, Lagos State Infrastructure Maintenance and Regulatory Agency (LASIMRA), Mrs. Olayemi Oni, said in the last one year, the State Government through the agency alleviated the problem of towers and masts structure collapse through consistent monitoring and compliance to ethical value and standard.

She said a total of 16 illegal and abandoned masts have so far been decommissioned, while also urging telecommunication operators having such masts to report to the agency or risk similar fate.