Funso Adebiyi, the director, Federal Highways, Southwest, says illegal parking by articulated truck drivers is slowing the pace of ongoing construction on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
Adebiyi stated this during a stakeholders’ meeting held Monday, at the Reynolds Construction Company ( RCC) project yard, and therefore appealed to them to vacate the expressway.
Stakeholders at the meeting included transport unions, truck owners, drivers’ associations, law enforcement agencies, traffic regulatory agencies, traditional rulers and community residents’ association leaders, among others.
Explaining the reason for the gathering, Adebiyi said that the RCC contractor on section 2 of the project had suspended work around Ogere because articulated vehicles blocked the highway, making it impossible for the contractor to access the site.
He said that reconstruction, rehabilitation and repair works were ongoing on Trunk A One to Trunk A Nine roads simultaneously across the southwest and the entire nation ahead of yuletide.
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“We called this meeting in order for us to complete this important road. We started work from Ibadan and got to Ogere and your trucks are parked there. We had to suspend work and the truck drivers are there illegally.
“If we do not have access to the site to do this work, the southwest loses out,’’ he said.
Highlighting the importance of Trunk A One to A Nine roads, Adebiyi listed various ongoing projects starting from Apapa Port in Lagos through other crucial highways in Ogun and Oyo States beneficial to the nation’s economy.
The director listed the challenges of constructing the Lagos-ibadan Expressway through Lagos, Ogun and Oyo to include accidents by reckless driving that recently killed two site engineers.
He appealed for the cooperation of all the stakeholders to speed up construction works, while also appealing to communities to shun hostilities with construction workers.
He assured that modalities for paying compensation on property on the right of way of the project had been completed, saying that payments would commence soon.
Adebiyi appealed to truck drivers to vacate the highway by a minimum of 50 meters from the road setback for ease of construction.
He also noted that diversion signs would be appropriately mounted and supervised. He directed that the debris from excavation of the highway should be used to stabilise some bad roads and also directed the reconstruction of some sections for accessibility of trucks to their parks.
He explained that contractors had been mobilised to carry out rehabilitation works on all the roads in the southwest apart from ongoing contracts to ensure smooth rides.
He said that all construction zones would be opened to traffic on December 15.
“We have mapped out strategies to ensure that we carry out diversion on short stretches of two to three kilometers to reduce stress.
“We are not insensitive to your plight. We just want you to move 50 metres away to allow for reconstruction,’’ he said.
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