No end in sight despite assurances-Apapa-Oshodi

What amazing traffic-jam is this? An exasperated Bidemi yelled at nobody in particular. Bidemi who has his forwarding and clearing business in Apapa, was trapped in the traffic gridlock that stretched from Sanya Bus Stop to Apapa for over five hours last Tuesday.

At the end of the day’s business, Bidemi who lives in Shogunle, ran into another horrible traffic jam between Berliet Bus Stop and Ilasamaja, also on the ever-busy Oshodi-Apapa Expressway.

He is not alone in this desperation. Indeed, motorists and commuters plying the Lagos – Badagry and Oshodi/Apapa expressways, have on several occasions, been subjected to untold hardship occasioned by perennial traffic gridlocks that have become the recurring decimal along these roads.

Last week in particular, users of the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway literally went through hell as a result of the traffic snarl allegedly caused by the last minute efforts by petrol tanker drivers to load petroleum products from the farm tanks before the long Sallah holidays. The indiscriminate parking of these trucks worsened the already chaotic traffic situation in the area.



Those who attributed the traffic logjam to the last minute rush for the Sallah may not be altogether correct, going by the fact that the gridlock returned shortly after the long holiday. Yesterday, (Wednesday) the traffic along the axis assumed a rather frightening dimension as motorists spent several hours without accessing their destinations. A middle-aged man who simply identified himself as Lamidi told Vanguard that he spent more than five hours from Orile Iganmu to Kirikiri. “The traffic from Orile to Mile Two started before Orile Bus Stop. After spending more than two hours to reach Mile Two, I discovered that Julius Berger had blocked the interchange that leads motorists to Apapa. I had to drive to Festac Town before coming out at 2nd Rainbow to continue my journey to Kirikiri,” he said.

On the other side of the expressway, precisely between Cele Bus Stop and Ilasamaja, commuters went through another traffic nightmare. This time, the “go-slow” was caused by the deep craters that had taken over several portions of the ever-busy dual carriageway. The traffic gridlock on this axis usually starts after Cele Bus Stop where the second phase of the reconstruction of the expressway stopped and terminates around Iyana Isolo. The worst affected area is between Berliet and Ilasamaja which have developed deep gullies and craters.

The scenario becomes very terrible whenever it rains. On such days, traffic will stretch from Ijesha to Ilasamaja. A classic example was what transpired during the just concluded Sallah festival when the road became very busy because of the last minute business closures.

Controller directs Julius Berger to carry out palliative repairs

Commenting on the poor state of the road and the resultant traffic snarl, the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, Mr. Godwin Eke, an engineer, admitted that the Berliet axis of the road has become very bad, thereby impeding free flow of vehicular movement. Eke said he has directed the construction company handling the reconstruction of the Oshodi-Apapa expressway, Messrs Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, to move into the area to carry out palliative repairs. Hopefully, he said, the company will undertake the assignment this weekend.

The Controller explained that the contract for the reconstruction of the expressway from Cele Bus Stop to Oshodi which falls under the third phase of the reconstruction, has not been awarded to any contractor. According to him, Phase Two of the reconstruction being handled by Julius Berger terminates at Cele Bus Stop. Eke noted that inadequate budgetary allocation to the road sector is hampering the fixing of some federal roads, not only in Lagos state, but other parts of the country.

Routine maintenance

Also reacting to the poor state of the road, officials of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency FERMA, denied neglecting this side of the expressway. According to them, routine maintenance is carried out generally on the dual carriageway whenever the need arises.

FERMA Engineer in charge of Lagos 2 West which comprises Oshodi/Apapa Expressway, Mr. Afolabi Oladele, said that portion of the road is under the third phase of the reconstruction of the entire expressway which begins from Cele down to the end of Oshodi.

The FERMA official noted that his Agency has been intervening on the expressway even before the idea of reconstructing the entire stretch of the Oshodi/Apapa Expressway was muted. According to him, the Agency in a bid to make the road useable, has carried boulders and stone base materials to the bad spots for palliative repairs. He gave reasons why the bad portions have not been worked on. According to him, the water that percolated on the the bad spots have not dried up and whatever is done now that the rain is still falling, will be washed away. Oladele said as soon as the water that percolated on the road dries off, palliative work will commence immediately.

“FERMA has been carrying out routine maintenance on those spots by applying boulders and stone base materials as well as cleaning of drainage channels and culverts around Berliet and Ilasamaja. This is still ongoing before permanent reinstatement of the expressway by the Federal Ministry of Works . The problem with that part of the road is that it is the low point of the road. This explains why that part of the dual carriageway is usually flooded whenever it rains”, the FERMA official noted.