A section of Apapa-Oshodi Road being reconstructed during inspection by Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola and President of Dangote Group of Companies, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, in Lagos on Saturday (28/12/19). 08869/28/12/2019/Olatunde Okoya/BJO/NAN
BY Wasilat Azeez
The federal government says the ongoing reconstruction and rehabilitation of the Apapa-Oshodi-Oworonsoki-Ojota expressway will be completed within nine to 10 months.
Olukayode Popoola, the federal controller of works in Lagos, announced this on Saturday during a joint inspection of the project with officials of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).
He assured that section one of the project would be completed within three weeks and opened for use afterwards.
“We will complete the remaining portion within the next three weeks, especially the asphalt work,” NAN quoted Popoola to have said.
“So within that three weeks, the outstanding works will be completed fully and then the section one will be made available to the motorists.
“We (federal ministry of works and housing) also complained about the trucks that are infiltrating the road while we are working. We have told them (NPA) that we cannot allow trucks to flock onto the section where we are working because they will disturb the contractor.
“So the trucks will now be monitored and controlled fully. Both the NPA security, the Nigerian Police, LASTMA and then the contractor’s representative will form a synergy to work out how they will be controlling the trucks that enter into the port road henceforth.”
Popoola said that the entire project would be completed and handed over within the next nine to 10 months, including section two which had just been awarded.
He also said work on sections three and four had progressed, with over 70 percent completion reached cumulatively.
On her part, Hadiza Bala Usman, managing director of NPA, noted that agreements were reached on timelines for construction works in order not to disrupt port operations.
She added that discussions were ongoing with the Lagos state government on how to prevent miscreants from extorting truck drivers, removing shanties and illegal structures along the port corridors.
NAN reports that the rehabilitation project was inaugurated by President Muhammadu Buhari in November 2018 to resolve Apapa traffic gridlock.
The contract was awarded to AG Dangote Construction Company Ltd at the cost of N73 billion under the tax credit scheme of the federal government.
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