Glory Ebomah
Ogun State governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun has summoned the representatives of the contractor handling the reconstruction of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway over incessant road crashes.
Besides, the governor also summoned the Federal Controller of Works in the state, Umar Bakare.
The Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Ade Akinsanya, told newsmen in Oke Mosan, Abeokuta that the meeting being facilitated by the governor was to map out strategies to reduce carnage on the expressway, especially, the accidents that involved tanker explosions at Ogere section of the road.
According to him, based on the directive of the governor, there would be changes on the road signs, improvement of the traffic management, while the pace of work will increase.
Akinsanya said that the best part of the road will be open to traffic during the Yuletide, adding it will be fully completed in January 2022.
He said Governor Abiodun is determined to prevent reoccurrence of Ogere inferno which claimed five lives and destroyed property worth several millions of naira.
In his remarks, the Federal Controller of Works, Ogun State Engr. Umar Bakare, said the contractor was fully aware of the need to ensure adequate traffic signs on the road and disclosed that the contractor was committed to improving traffic management on the road.
Bakare who also disclosed that the contractor handling the project has requested for sensitization of the public on the need to be careful on the road, which is now a dual carriage way, added that reinforcement would be needed along the stretch where construction is currently going on.
“The representative of the contractor, Engr. Yuri who is the Area Manager has promised that the whole stretch of the road will be completed before the end of January 2022. He also promised that towards the end of the year, that section of the road will be partially completed and totally opened to traffic, so that there won’t be any logjam during the yuletide season.
“The contractor has committed to improve on their traffic management and they have also requested for further sensitization of the public on the construction work going on and in respect to road signs.
“And they also requested for additional reinforcement within the stretch where work is ongoing at Ogere where we have a lot of trucks, tankers and all sorts of articulated vehicles that usually park on the road,” Bakare stated.
The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Waheed Odusile, noted that the meeting was to ensure that preventable and avoidable accidents do not occur again on the road.
He restated the state government’s determination to ensure the safety of lives and property on the expressway.