• To be completed in 15 months
By Moshood Adebayo
Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, has flagged off reconstruction of the Oshodi-International Airport Road, with a pledge to complete the project in 15 months.
The governor had, last month, at the Quarterly Town Hall meeting in Badore area of Ajah, announced reconstruction of the road and assured it would commence in September.
Commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure Development, Adebowale Akinsanya, who represented Ambode, said commencement of the project was in line with the commitment of the administration to transform the entire axis, being the major gateway to the country’s commercial nerve centre.
He urged residents and motorists to cooperate with government while the road project lasts and added that Ambode’s intention is to transform the area.
“There will be some minor inconveniences but, we are going to try to mitigate the impact. The work will be accelerated. The project is to make life easier for everybody. We just want to appeal to people to cooperate with us. We will be here to talk to the people, in case of any issue and we are also working with our partner, the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN). To fast-track the project, three group of workers will work on the project and they will work day and night, while upon completion, the project will be linked to the Oworonshoki reclamation project, which is also ongoing and is aimed at transforming the corridor to a major entertainment and tourism hub.
“The desire of the government is to ensure that this corridor is turned into an international corridor so that investors and the people can be proud that we have an international gateway that we all can be proud of.
“We are not just building roads, we are thinking of the transportation implication and so there is a bus reform project that is ongoing and every part of Lagos will be connected by bus and that is why this road project will be linked to the Oshodi interchange. So, there will be about 20 lay-bys, bus terminals and so on which are all flowing from the same master plan for this area,” he said.
The project includes reconstruction and expansion of the existing carriage to three-lane expressway on both directions, construction of two-lane service road on both directions, construction of ramp bridge to provide a U-turn from Ajao Estate to Airport, construction of a flyover at NAHCO/Toll Gate and drainage works.
Others include removal of the existing pedestrian bridge at Ajao Estate and construction of pedestrian bridges at Ajao Estate and NAHCO/Hajj Camp, construction of slip road to provide access to Ajao Estate, construction of Lay-bys and installation of streetlights.