By Olasunkanmi Akoni

MOTORISTS and other road users have continued to groan under the perennial 24-hour gridlock, experienced on the ever-busy Lagos Abeokuta Expressway by the collapsed section of the Iyana Dopemu Bus-Stop.

This is as those affected have called on the Federal Government, as well as the Lagos State Government to urgently carry-out a complete rehabilitation on all the failed portions of the road, so as to ease the horrible experiences they go through daily on the axis.

Just last week, the State government, through its agent, the Lagos State Public Works Corporation, LSPWC, fixed the collapsed section of Alimosho Road, about a hundred meters by Iyana Dopemu Bus-Stop.

When residents thought solace had come their way, this was not so, as they have continued to lament that the palliative has not curbed the gridlock along the axis.

It will be recalled that during the public unveiling of Alimosho Model City Plan by the state government, experts tasked the state authorities to kick-start an urban renewal scheme, which thrust would include provision of infrastructure as no meaningful development can take place within the area without such projects.

They argued that any feat without corresponding infrastructure would rather compound the present challenge of development confronting the area.

The 10-year plan ‘2010-2020’ encompasses the ‘old’ Alimosho local government area, which consists of six identified Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs), namely, Ayobo-Ipaja, Egbeda-Akowonjo, Agbado Oke-Odo, Mosan-Okunola, Igando Ikotun, and Egbe Idimu.

Sequel to the perennial gridlock in the area, the state government had carried out maintenance work on both Dopemu and Iyana Ipaja Bridges, between March 15 to April 5, 2014, with the aim of improving traffic movement in the area. Some of the features of maintenance work include: the removal of expansion joints and replacement of the new ones, re-asphalting of the road, traffic markings and repainting of the median for easy visibility for drivers at night.

The project necessitated the opening of a median barrier along the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway to serve as alternative route pending the completion of Dopemu Bridge.

According to the state Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Kayode Opeifa, the Federal Government gave the approval to open the median barrier and left maintenance work to federal agents in the state.

Consequently, to facilitate seamless flow of traffic then, vehicles approaching Dopemu Bridge from Ile-Zik inward Iyana Ipaja could make a u-turn back to Dopemu Bridge via the opened median along the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, or take a left turn into Alimosho Road, using link roads back to Akowonjo or Iyana Ipaja road. The link roads wer: Irepodun Street, Alaguntan, Vincent Street, Akiwowo Road and Cash Street, all of Alimoso Road.

Daily traffic situation

Similarly, vehicles coming from Orile Agege and environs approaching Dopemu Bridge can take a right turn through Surulere Road to link Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway and make use of the opened median into the earlier mentioned link roads.

The daily traffic situation on the axis presently, is caused by a large gully which cut the major road into halves, thereby causing motorists to slow down in order to wade through without resulting in any damage to their vehicles.

According to Mr. Remi Olalekan, a civil servant who lives in Alimosho, “The heavy traffic snarl experienced daily on Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway is unbearable. There is no time you will drive along this axis that you won’t spend an hour or more for a journey that should take just some minutes.”

Another resident, Mrs. Abiola Adefuye, who simply described the traffic situation as horrible, however called on the Federal Road Maintenance Agency, FERMA, to live up to its responsibilities by fixing the failed portions of the road.

Lamenting that the road has become a nightmare to ply, Adefuye said: “We are appealing to FERMA and other relevant authorities to help us, as we are dying due to the daily stress experienced on this road. Armed robbers who disguise as highway hawkers also seize the opportunity to dispossess innocent motorists and commuters of their monies and other valuables.”