• Thursday, March 28, 2024
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BusinessDay

Apapa: Trailer Park opening delays again, but there’s hope

Tin Can Trailer Park

Once again, the federal government has failed to open the Tin Can Trailer Park being constructed along the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway. Government had earlier scheduled the park for opening last week Friday along with the Lilypond Terminal as temporary measures for tackling Apapa gridlock and congestion.

Adedamola Kuti, Federal Controller of Works, Lagos, had explained to BusinessDay in a telephone interview that the opening of the park was being delayed by the absence of critical infrastructure in the park.

This was confirmed by an official of Borini Prono, the Italian construction company handling the construction of park, who told BusinessDay at the project site Friday morning that water and light were the major facilities needed to throw the park open.

“We are almost done; all the poles for the light have been mounted; all that remains is running the wires and connecting them to the power source which could be a giant generator or national grid. We have also done the reticulations for water.

“We are constructing the pillars that will carry the overhead tanks in two places as you can see. Once we are through with that, we will dig the borehole which will take just a few hours, the pipes will be connected and water will start running everywhere, including the toilets,” the Borini Prono official, who did not want to be named, assured.

The official who was amused when this reporter reminded him that the park was to be opened that day (Friday after it failed a week earlier), pointed out that money was needed to get all that done, but the government was taking long in responding to their request for funds to get those facilities.

The official was however optimistic that the park might be ready before the end of next week, lamenting that they had lasted too long on the project which, he noted, should have beeen a three-year project but has been on since 2010 when government awarded contracted for its construction.

BusinessDay observed during the Friday morning visit that the park was largely ready, except for the aforementioned facilities and the shoreline protection which the official explained was suspended to enable them concentrate on the critical needs of the park. “The shore protection can be constructed even after the park is opened”, he said.

A critical look at the park shows that there may be problems of overcrowding and congestion, looking at its size and the load it is expected to carry. “About 400 trucks are expected to use this place and each truck will come with at least six people. There will be food vendors, other businesses and service providers; I have my fears,” the official noted, hoping however that managers of the park would be efficient and firm with their work.

 

CHUKA UROKO