27th December, 2019
The Lagos State Government on Friday began infrastructural improvement on four identified junctions across the State in a bid to mitigate traffic snarl.
The areas are: 2nd Roundabout Lekki/Epe Expressway, Ikotun, Allen Avenue and Maryland.
The move is in fulfillment of its promise to unlock traffic gridlock in the 60 trouble zones identified at the beginning of this administration.
Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Frederic Oladeinde conducted journalists round some of the junctions/roundabouts where improvement work and reordering were ongoing, saying that the projects were in line with the administration’s commitment to easing traffic congestion in the State.
Oladeinde observed that some of the roundabouts could no longer meet the demands of the increased population in Lagos, stressing that they had outlived their usefulness and that the current traffic challenges encountered in the identified axes demanded an urgent remodelling for long-lasting solutions.
The Commissioner, who was accompanied on the tour of the infrastructure projects by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Gbenga Omotoso, stressed that pedestrian activities, huge vehicular traffic and overburdened roundabout structures were responsible for the heavy congestion that caused operational challenges and delay during the peak hours, disclosing further that the remodelling projects would be completed within the next four months.
While addressing journalists before embarking on the tour of projects, Oladeinde said remodelling the four roundabouts would include demolition and accommodation of synchronised signalisation to control traffic, reduce travel time, reduce traffic congestion to the barest minimum and ensure all-round safety as well as create favourable environment for improved economic growth and development.
The Commissioner assured Lagosians that officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) would be present at the designated locations to manage traffic flow, urging residents to bear with the State government while the project lasted.
Also speaking, Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Omotoso urged Lagosians to be patient and cooperative with the State Government in confronting the challenges of fixing road infrastructure, assuring that the Governor was committed to ensuring a safer Lagos for all.
While addressing journalists at Maryland roundabout, Omotoso said though all the statues and aesthetics at the roundabout would be removed to give way to traffic, he assured that the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture would relocate them to other locations for more aesthetic value, assuring that the artefacts would not rot away.
Omotoso disclosed that two alternative routes had also been created at Sunmola and Bush Streets inside Mende, Maryland to further ease the traffic flow in and outward Ojota as well as Ikeja bound movement.
In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transportation, Mr. Sewedo Whenu, assured that relevant agencies would be deployed to ensure the rapid movement of traffic during the project.