•A bad portion of Kara bridge
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) yesterday announced that repairs on the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway will require at least two months for full completion.
”Following discussions with the contractor and the Controller of Works, it was agreed that a period of about six weeks to a maximum of two months will be used to complete the work. Some of these repairs need time to properly seal.” The Lagos State Sector Commander of FRSC, Ganiyu Hamzat, revealed in an interview.
According to Hamzat, certain damaged sections of the road have been causing vehicles to collide while trying to dodge oncoming or unsuspecting vehicles.
“We discovered that some of the bad portions of the road cause vehicles, while trying to dodge oncoming or unsuspecting vehicles, to ram into one another, thereby creating unnecessary accidents,” he said.
He noted that progress on ongoing repairs has been slower than expected. “Since work has now started, we observed that if we continue at the pace initially adopted, it will take about twice the time originally scheduled. As a result, we decided to re-strategise, and that is what we are doing now,” Hamzat explained.
To reduce inconvenience to motorists, the FRSC will focus on repairing two expansion joints at a time instead of 1.
“Instead of working on 1 expansion joint at a time, we are now going to work on two expansion joints at a time so that motorists experience the inconvenience once, rather than suffering repeatedly from one section to another. It is better to face it head-on,” he said.
Hamzat highlighted that overloading on the expressway is a major factor contributing to road damage, calling for the use of weigh bridges to prevent vehicles from prematurely destroying the road.
“High-level chemicals are now being used so the repairs can heal faster, reducing the curing period to about seven days before reopening to traffic,” he added.
Work has already been completed on one side of Kara Bridge, and both sides will now be repaired simultaneously.
“By the time this phase is completed, the inward Lagos section of the expressway will be finished, allowing motorists coming into Lagos to heave a sigh of relief,” Hamzat said.
According to him, the FRSC is working in collaboration with other agencies, including LASTMA, the police, the Federal Road Safety Corps, and even the military. He also appealed to motorists to tolerate temporary inconveniences for long-term benefits.
“We cannot ignore this situation or continue to witness crashes. The problem must be confronted decisively,” Hamzat stressed.
“Driving against traffic will no longer be tolerated. This is a warning, not an appeal. Anyone caught driving against traffic will be appropriately penalised and, if necessary, prosecuted in a court of competent jurisdiction.”
Hamzat admitted that while construction work inevitably causes some discomfort, the measures being put in place will ensure smoother traffic flow and safer roads in the long term.
