Motorists plying the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway have lamented the slow pace of work and the demarcation of the expressway from the Warewa end of the long bridge, Ogun State, and the resultant gridlock.

They lamented that Julius Berger Plc, the construction company working on the expressway, used dividers to block a major part of the bridge and worked sluggishly without caring about the effect on traffic.

The road users added that the development had caused them untold hardship as they had missed appointments, spent longer hours in traffic and burnt more fuel than usual.

This is just as residents of Arepo and Warewa ends of the expressway lamented the blockage of access U-turns into their communities, saying the decision by Julius Berger Plc was ill-informed, as it had shut down businesses.

Motorists, who spoke with PUNCH Metro, expressed displeasure at the gridlock and urged the contractor to expedite action on the project.

A motorist, Mr. Olumide Adebayo, said, “I understand that they are fixing the road, but they have to be fast about it. I live in Ibafo and the experience on this road, especially this week, has been frustrating. A lot of time is wasted on the road and I use more fuel when there is traffic jam. We can’t just continue like this.”

Another motorist, Mr. Kingsley Adigbo, berated the government for the bad state of the road.

“This kind of gridlock has more or less become a regular experience on this road. In a place where the government is doing what it should do, the state of the road should not have been this poor. This is frustrating,” he said.

A tipper driver, Kayode Emmanuel, decried the slow pace of work on the road, saying the government and the contractor were at fault.

He said, “I can’t blame the contractor alone for that because I don’t know the arrangement between the company and the government. Maybe they were not adequately paid to do the job.”

A resident of Ojodu, Idris Tijani, said he slept in the office last Friday because of the traffic jam on the road.

“I work at Magboro and usually leave the office at 8pm for home, I could not make it home last Friday. I had to sleep in the office because the gridlock was much. This is very sad,” he said

PUNCH Metro observed on Tuesday that the gridlock had built up on the expressway from the long bridge to the Ibafo area.

Some motorists, who could not bear the traffic, were sighted by our correspondents driving against the traffic.

A resident of Arepo, who identified himself only as Alabi, said the trend was dangerous as it could result in fatal accidents.

Alabi described his experience on the road as “terrible”, adding that he no longer took his car out.

He said, “I don’t blame those driving against the traffic, though it is very dangerous and can result in fatal accidents.

“I was in the traffic for over three hours last Saturday while driving my family home. My fuel gauge was low and I thought I would find reprieve at the Arepo end of the expressway where I would make a U-turn. To my utter consternation, the road was blocked. I was close to tears when I discovered that the Warewa U-turn had also been blocked.

“I prayed hard that my car would not break down. I saw a lot of broken down vehicles. I drove down to OPIC bus stop where I was able to turn. Why will Julius Berger do such a thing without thinking of the plight of those living in the area?”

A businessman in Arepo, who identified himself only as Victor, said his business had been affected by the blockage of the U-turns.

Victor said, “They are not sensitive to the plight of residents. I am aware that FRSC made the construction company to block the Arepo U-turn because of those driving against the traffic. But I don’t think that is a goog reason to block access routes. It is not convenient at all.”

An official of Julius Berger Plc, Solace Orlu, said the company was working hard to finish the construction in good time.

He said, “We are doing everything possible to end the traffic and finish the construction on time. Things will soon come to normal. We are not responsible for the blockage of the U-turns.”

The Zonal Commander, FRSC, Zone 2, Nseobong Akpabio, said the traffic on the expressway was caused by impatience.

He said, “The people that are complaining about the blockage of the U-turns at Arepo and Warewa are the same set of people driving against the traffic.

“It was because of this violation of traffic rule and the congestion on the expressway that the FRSC, the Julius Berger Company and the RCC agreed at a meeting that the access routes be blocked; it wasn’t our sole decision. We believed that closing the U-turns would also reduce the traffic.

“The traffic on the road is neither the fault of the FRSC nor the construction company, but the impatience of the drivers. The motorists create all kinds of routes and in the end, they create the gridlock.”

 

Source: Punchng.com

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