The construction work being carried on Ota-Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway has stalled vehicular movement on that route leading to untold hardships and frustrations for motorists and commuters travelling through that axis.
NoTM online who was part of the assessment tour to the scene gathered from motorists that the lockdown was triggered by construction work at the Itori-Lafarge-Papalanto axis of the old Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.
They said the road has been locked-down since Sunday, 19th October, leaving hundreds of vehicles and trucks stuck in the bedlam caused by ongoing construction work by Craneburg Construction Company.
A trip to the axis on Tuesday revealed a spectacle of frustration and lamentations by motorists and passengers as the vehicles and trucks had been standstill for days, with the traffic holdup stretching into several kilometres in front and around the Lafarge Cement factory at Ewekoro.
Motorists were seen desperately making a detour to other routes, however since these alternative routes were equally in bad shape, this led to another set of bedlam as a truck reportedly fell on one other vehicle destroying it in the process, creating another logjam in the process.
However,the motorists and passengers saw a glimmer of hope when men of the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency, TRACE, led by Cdr. Elias Omonayajo,the most Senior TRACE official, who coordinates and administer the day to day running and schedule of activity of the agency, arrived the scene.
He immediately deployed advance traffic management techniques in collaboration with the construction company and Lafarge Cement Plc, to ease the long row of vehicles held up in the traffic melee,even as drivers engaged in rat race to free themselves from the logjam, manoeuvring their vehicles in desperate attempt to beat one another.
Addressing select journalists at the scene, Cdr. Omonayajo said, “The gridlock has been on for about three (3) days due to the ongoing reconstruction work on both sides of the expressway, but TRACE is here to control and manage the traffic for orderliness to prevail.”
“It is very important that they adhere to our regulations, follow what we tell them especially at this point in time, so we can seamlessly ensure the movement of vehicular traffic. You can see the level of synergy we have with Lafarge, FRSC, the Police and other agencies here present to ensure that this goal is achieved.”
Alternative routes:
He added that TRACE had already issued a traffic advisory for articulated vehicles and others, advising those coming from Abeokuta to divert at Ita-Oshin inbound Oke-Ata to Ilaro and Papalanto, while those coming from Sango will take divert at Papalanto-Ilaro through Oke-Ata to Abeokuta.
Cdr. Omonayajo who however debunked insinuations that the the gridlock may last the next 2 weeks, explained that his operatives are already engaged on standby 24/7 to ensure constant traffic movement at the axis, advising motorists to be patient and cooperate with his officials to speedily ease traffic movement.
Speaking on behalf of Craneburg Construction Company, Mr. Benedict Ebifiye, the Safety Supervisor, also corroborated that motorists have been stuck on the road for the past three days.
In addition, Mr. Ebifiye said, “We are working on only one lane, why you see some of our equipment on the second lane is that we are trying to provide palliative repairs to assist in decongesting the heavy traffic build up, while still making both lanes motorable at the moment.
“In less than two weeks’, this congestion is going to be over, because the concrete road is going to be open, and they will start using it. So this kind of situation will no longer be experienced around this area,”he added.
Earlier, in view of the traffic situation at the axis, Cdr. Babatunde Akinbiyi, TRACE PRO, on behalf of the Agency issued a traffic advisory, stating; “considering the traffic situation between Lakatabu area on both the inbound and outbound stretch of the Old Lagos – Abeokuta Expressway, as a result of the swampy nature of the road, opposite Lafarge Cement Company, traffic rerouting has been put in place by TRACE, to enable the construction company attend to the fail portion of the road in order to reduce the extent of delay and man hour lost in traffic.
“Consequently, articulated vehicles transiting from Abeokuta should go through Ita-Oshin- Oke-Ata/Ilaro/Papalanto and continue their journey from there; while those transiting from Ifo to Abeokuta should go through Ilaro-Oke/Ata-Abeokuta.”
