Relief as OGSG Commences Reconstruction of Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta Expressway
Relief is on the horizon for motorists using the Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta Expressway as Craneburg, the contracting firm, has arrived on-site to commence the road’s reconstruction.
The official groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for tomorrow, August 23, 2024, and will be conducted by Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun. Craneburg began mobilizing its equipment to the site 10 days ago to start palliative measures, aiming to make one side of the road passable while full construction begins on the other side.
Palliative measures have been implemented on the road spanning Sango-Ota, Pakoto, Ifo, Ewekoro, Itori, and Obada, with stone-base material spread over the worst sections to ease travel while reconstruction continues. This Federal Government-owned road had been in a deplorable state for over 20 years.
However, it was finally transferred to the state government earlier this year under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, following previous unsuccessful attempts. Governor Abiodun highlighted that bureaucratic delays had hindered the road’s reconstruction.
The governor recalled the efforts made by both Ogun and Lagos state governments to take over and reconstruct the expressway, expressing that he and his Lagos counterpart faced frustrations due to delays from the Federal Government. He explained that with President Tinubu in office, they approached the Federal Government again to request the transfer of the road to the state, which was eventually approved.
He stated, “The Abeokuta-Ota-Lagos road is a Federal Government road and has been in deplorable condition for a long time. Because of the hardship our people face on that road, my Lagos counterpart and I jointly wrote a letter on a single letterhead to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) requesting the transfer of the road to us for reconstruction.”
“After waiting a month without a response, we sent a reminder. However, the road was not handed over to us until the current administration took office. The contract for the road was finally awarded this past May.”
