By Eniola Daniel
The Federal Controller of Works, Lagos, Olaseni Bakare, yesterday said the Toyota-Murtala Mohammed Airport road Link Bridge will be open to motorists in February.
Bakare did not say the exact date the road will be completed but insisted that the contractor, Hitech Construction Company is working at the right pace despite deserting the site for weeks.
The road, which is less than 200 metres, was closed for rehabilitation in October 2022 and partially opened to motorists towards the 2022 Christmas and New Year celebration. The contractor handling the job resumed after the festive period and promised to complete the project within two weeks.
Five days after resumption, the contractor abandoned the site and barricaded the road.
In fact, none of its equipment is on site at the time of filing this report.
Despite the importance of the road to the nation’s economy, it has been closed down with no communication from the Federal Ministry of Works.
Bakare told The Guardian “The work will be completed in February and it will be open to traffic. There hasn’t been any delay except during the yuletide season when it was opened to traffic. It is not about the length of the road, it’s about the scope of the work.”
“The contractor is working on different locations along the road and that is why you haven’t seen them in that particular spot working. As per the exact date in February the job will be done, there is nothing exact about construction work.
Speaking on the plan to avert traffic congestion on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, he said: “We are planning to divert traffic to CMD Road at peak period and if necessary to divert to inward Lagos. We will also have men of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) to maintain law and order, and we have adequate caution signs to help the motorists.
“The complaint about the delay in completion is due to lack of knowledge of construction work.
Source: The Guardian
