Federal Government of Nigeria has said the Lagos-Ibadan and Abuja-Kano Expressways will be completed by April 30.
The Minister of Works and Housing Mr Babatunde Fashola said this at the pre-inspection of the completed Loko-Oweto Bridge in Nasarawa State on Wednesday.
“I want to appeal to commuters on that road for continuous patience and understanding: it is a difficult project to execute because it is perhaps one of the busiest roads in the country.
“Building through 40,000 vehicular traffic daily is not an easy undertaking, we cannot shut down the road. So, we have to manage and divert traffic for the safety of those involved in the construction.
“So, I want to implore that forbearance continues because the deadline date we have for completion now is April 30 this month.
“In about four weeks, 26 days, plus or minus, that road should also be fully completed, open to traffic from Lagos to Ibadan, and beyond the toll gate up to kilometre 116.”
According to him, what will be left is 9 kilometres from kilometres 17 to 27.”
Fashola said the reason why that would be left was because Oyo State Government is constructing drainage across the road, adding that the drainage was necessary to help address the issue of excessive flooding and climate change in the State.
“We believe that it is better to wait for them to finish that project, and then complete the remaining nine kilometres, instead of building it now and then having them cut it up again.”
Speaking also about the Abuja-Kano expressway to be completed April 30 as well, Fashola said it was the biggest of all the road projects in terms of scope and budget.
“Abuja-Kano is the biggest of the three projects in terms of scope, in terms of size, in terms of budget; it is 375 kilometres.
”It encompasses 41 bridges of different sizes. It was the last to start, so it cannot finish at the same time. That is the honest truth.
“But we have made progress from Zaria to Kano, that is, 137 kilometres, and the contractors tell us that by May 15 that site should be fully completed.
“Then, we have Kaduna to Zaria, which is about 70 something kilometres. That side of course, they say will be completed on the 30th of this month, fully open to traffic,” he said.
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