Lagos-Ibadan road: FG to build four bridges in Ibadan

Four pedestrian bridges are to be constructed between Ibadan tollgate and Ojoo, as part of ongoing reconstruction of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, the Federal Government has said.

Director, Highways Construction and Rehabilitation, Federal Ministry of Works, Mr Funso Adebiyi, disclosed this after a meeting with some officials of the state government, in Ibadan, at the weekend.

He also said construction work on the expressway was more than halfway gone, with plans to commission the project within the first quarter of 2022.

The director said the four pedestrian bridges would take care of the high human density around the tollgate and Ojoo axis.

A joint team of the Federal Government and Oyo State government would be embarking on a tour of the road stretch, to decide where the pedestrian bridges will would be sited, Adebiyi added.

He said the Federal Government was collaborating with the Oyo State government for effective management of traffic control during the construction work.

According to him, the Ibadan tollgate to Ojoo axis is one of the busiest sections of the project, with high traffic volume.

 Adebiyi, however, noted that the road wiould be closed and opened up at about four kilometres interval to ease the traffic build-up.

He appealed to road users to show understanding, during the construction even as he urged them to consider it as their project.

The director said construction works on the expressway was more than halfway gone, with plans to commission the project within the first quarter of 2022.

“We are looking at about four major pedestrian bridges but we are discussing with the Oyo State government if it will want to fund a few more infrastructure. Apart from pedestrian bridges, we are thinking of street lightings as well; the state government may want to collaborate with us.

“When we construct the road, they may put street lighting. It is collaboration; so, we are trying our best to form a synergy between the state and the Federal Governments. If the Federal Government is doing four pedestrian bridges, the state can do additional four, because the stretch is quite long and the population is quite high,” he said.

He ruled out compensation for those whose structures will be demolished, noting that such structures were built on the right of way of the Federal Government.