The Lagos State Government at the weekend commissioned the upgraded 1.02 kilometer Adeniran Ogunsanya dual carriageway stretching from Masha/Shitta Roundabout to Bode Thomas Street in Surulere Local Government Area.

Governor Babatunde Fashola said at the ceremony the upgrading has restored the middle class , adding that since the beginning of this regeneration, dreams have started coming yielding results.

“The expanded Adeniran Ogunsanya Street is the true dividend of democracy and continuity. Surulere, the neighbourhood where this road is sited is called New Lagos. This is where I was born, raised and educated.

Tracing the origin of the area, Fashola said: “Road and building infrastructure at New Lagos came to being in the 50s when it was apparent that Lagos Island was getting congested and overstretched and there was need to relocate people to a more auspicious area. The construction of the Eko Bridge which came to be in 60s also contributed to the movement and relocation of affected people from Lagos Island to the New Lagos.

“Many of population growth that was not complemented by infrastructure growth led first to emigration of middle class residents and later businesses, and the businesses that remained thrived in excruciating conditions while residents endured flooding and chaotic traffic. Adeniran Ogunsanya Street that we are handing over within New Lagos had undergone various face lifts in the past which has not been comprehensive and effective.

“However, since we started the regeneration from Funsho Williams to Eric Moore Road, to Orile and Lagos-Badagry Expressway, life is increasingly better. The face and lifestyle of this famous middle class settlement is improving by the day. That is why we are in government”, Gov. Fashola said.

Special Adviser to the Governor on Works and Infrastructure, Engr. Ganiyu Johnson noted that the road was a single carriageway before the present upgraded to dual carriageway with all the features such as walkway, street lights, service ducts and others.

According to him, the ring roads include Adeniran Ogunsanya, Akerele, Ogunlana, Adelabu, Babs Animashaun and Bode Thomas, adding that the ring roads when completed will complement Funsho Williams, Eric Moore and Lagos/Badagry Expressway and enhance commerce and economic growth in Surulere being the hub of the Local Government Council.

The Special Adviser who noted that all the roads were in deplorable conditions while Adeniran Ogunsanya was already turning to craters before government’s intervention, said motorists usually spent about 45 minutes from Shitta to Bode Thomas Junction, a journey that would normally have taken about five minutes.