Some motorists plying the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Monday advised the Federal Government to prevail on construction giant – Julius Berger Plc – to work at nights instead of daytime.
The motorists said that working at night on the road would alleviate the sufferings motorists and commuters face on a daily basis.
They described traffic on the expressway for inbound and outbound vehicles as a nightmare.
They lamented that a 40-km journey that would have lasted about 30 minutes between Mowe and Berger for Lagos-bound traffic now lasts between three and four hours.
The construction company had narrowed the four-lane Long Bridge linking Warewa in Ogun to Berger Bridge at Lagos-Ogun boundary to two lanes under the pretext of resurfacing the bridge.
From Ibafo Bus Stop, motorists coming to Lagos from other parts of the country are joined by those at “Second Lagos’’ comprising Mowe, Ibafo, Asese, Arepo, and Magboro, thereby making the traffic chaotic.
As usual, the ubiquitous yellow and other commercial buses (danfo) in a bid to beat the traffic often drive against traffic facing vehicles from Lagos.
The six-lane in-bound traffic now converge at the tip of the Long Bridge at Warewa without officials of Federal Road Safety Corps and the police in sight to control traffic.
Hundreds of passengers were stranded at the various bus stops in the early hours of the day.
Mrs Funmi Ojo, a resident of Ibafo who works in Lagos, said she spent three hours in the traffic to get to the end of the Long Bridge.
“ I boarded the bus at Ibafo at about 6.00 a.m., but I alighted at OPIC at 9.00 a.m. for a journey that should not last 30 minutes on a good day.
“Julius Berger should consider working at night instead of daytime so as to reduce the harrowing experiences passengers and motorists passing through on daily basis,’’ she said.
Another passenger, Mr Biola Olaiya, lamented that the situation had compelled commercial bus drivers to increase fares by 50 per cent.
“This is affecting our purses because we have to pay more than we budgeted for.’’
Miss Ponle Adekoya said the situation had made her to fall sick.
“I used to wake up at 4 a.m., leave the house about 5.30 a.m. for my office. But see what happened to me today. I am just at the Park-and-Ride Bus Stop at 9 a.m.
“My company’s staff bus had left from the point where I join it only for me to pay extra fare to board a public bus that will take me close to my place of work; I am tired of this development,’’ she said.
A driver, Mr Rashidi Olawale, said driving for several hours in the traffic had taken serious toll on his vehicle.
He said:“Drivers and passengers are already tired sitting for hours. Drivers can easily dose off. Workers have also lost productive man-hours in the traffic. That is why we are calling on the Federal Government to ask the contractor handling the expressway from Sagamu Inter-change to work at nights.
“This is the busiest expressway in Nigeria that connects the rest of Nigeria to Lagos. It must be given a special attention by the government.’’
Olawale also lamented that motorists burn more fuel because of the slow moving traffic.
“ With N2,000 petrol in my tank, I make four trips between Mowe and Ketu , but with the present situation, I fill the tank with between N4,000 and N5,000.’’
Mrs Foluso Olayiwola said she had stopped driving her vehicle to work because of the stress associated with the traffic situation on the road.
“If this continues, life expectancy of many people plying the road will reduce.
“Julius Berger should also provide alternative routes to the expressway to decongest the road, particularly at both sides of the long bridge.
Also speaking, Alhaji Jimoh Ibrahim, suggested that Julius Berger should patch the bad portions on the expressway.
He noted that the intervention of Ogun State Government during the rainy season in 2015 had made some failed sections of the road motorable.
Another road user, Alhaja Rabiat Onileowo, said the traffic officials should be deployed at strategic points to control traffic.
The Lagos-Ibadan Expressway was inaugurated in 1978 by the then General Olusegun Obasanjo’s military regime and in 2009, the Federal Government entered into a concession agreement with Bi-Courtney Highway Services, to reconstruct the road.
It was terminated four years after as a result of alleged “non-performance’’ by the firm.
In July 2013, former President Goodluck Jonathan inaugurated the reconstruction of the 35-year-old expressway with a pledge that the N167 billion project would be completed in 48 months.
The 127.8km road project was awarded to Julius Berger Plc and Reynolds Construction Company Ltd (RCC).
Julius Berger handles the Sagamu Interchange stretch to Lagos, while RCC is working on the stretch from the Interchange to Ibadan.
