To alleviate traffic on the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway and in the environs, in 2021, the Lagos State Government called for the expansion, of the drainage culvert to be completed as soon as possible.
Mr. Tunji Bello, the commissioner for environment and water resources, claimed in a statement that the drainage expansion project being built was to widen the existing culvert, which was inadequate for handling the force of the water flowing through it.
He claimed that the old culvert beneath the expressway, which was inadequate to hold stormwater runoff from the catchments, was to be expanded as part of the road repair projects being carried out by Julius Berger Nigeria Limited for the Federal Government.
According to him, the expansion work would allow rainwater to flow down the collection drain at the downstream end of the culvert without any difficulty or obstruction.
When implemented, he stated, the unique measure would take all the rainwater, like the one that flooded the expressway, into the 2 meters by 1.5 meters Collector that eventually feeds into the Akinola River.
Bello stated that the contractors were prepared to move on to the next phase of construction on Akowonjo Road as soon as they get Ministry of Transportation approval for traffic diversion.
Jun 2015
Rehabilitation works on the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway kicks off
The rehabilitation works on the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway have commenced. The project work is done by the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA). However, the reconstruction of the Dopemu section of the highway is in good progress on both bounds of the carriageway.
Other activities involve the evacuation of the Pako and Adealu bus stops and the earth and median drains. According, to Mr. Kehinde Afolabi the Engineer in charge of FERMA in Lagos West, the section delay was due to the pressure experienced 2 years ago brought about by the temporary ‘U-turn’ created on the section.
Furthermore, some of the auxiliary drains had been blocked at the time when the state government approved the creation of the diversion to ease the traffic congestion during the rehabilitation of the Dopemu and Iyana. Unfortunately, the diversion was later closed leading to several repairs due to severe damages.
In his opinion Eng. Afolabi stated that the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway also requires drainage channels reinforced by concrete since the earth drains constructed along the highway are over 30 years old making them insufficient to deal with the gradually growing population on the highway. He further explains that the median drains on the road are being wiped out to give way for the highway to be reinstated which will cause further delay in the project delivery as per the contract agreement for major repairs of the highway.
However, boulders, stone base, sharp sand, and laterite are currently being applied in some of the sections that require sub-base before the placement of the crushed stones begins, in fact, the only thing that is pending is the asphalt, however, before the asphalt is applied, at least 2 sections of the road needs to be reinstated to keep off traffic congestion.
The repair along the Abule Egba section on the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway has already been concluded and work on the Ilepo bus stop would soon commence. The lack of proper drains on the road often caused floods that lead to the gridlock that heavily affects the country’s daily business.
Reported on October 19, 2015
Nigeria to undertake the reconstruction of a drain on the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway
The Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) is planning to reconstruct about 500m of drains from Katangua Market to link the major canal along the Ilepo market in Lagos, Abeokuta Expressway, with an aim of wiping out flooding on the highway. The report was confirmed by Mr. Kehinde Afolabi, an engineer from the agency.
According to him, his proposal to the agency headquarters had been agreed to, and that approval has been granted to re-construct the lined drain. He has also said that the contractor has already reported to the site.
He said there were plans being put in place before the project restarts, in order to guarantee that the same problem does not reoccur. He said that the aim of the project was to widen the drain so that it can contain and consume water in order to have a good flow without the occurrence of spillage.
“There is a major problem of water and we finally resolved that the lined drain should be reconstructed. The pavement is not water-friendly so, before you know it potholes degenerate to failed sections; and failed sections degenerate into cutting the road into two,” said Afolabi.
May 2018
Nigeria pledges US $62.3m for Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta expressway project
The Federal Government has pledged early completion of the Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta expressway at the cost of US $62.3m to fasten socio-economic growth and international trade within Ogun and Lagos corridors.
Speaking at the flag-off of the road reconstruction at kilometer zero, Ile-Zik, along Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, Babatunde Fashola, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, regretted that the road had suffered several abandonments and contract variations owing to paucity of fund.
However, the readiness of the present government to prioritize key infrastructure to drive the economy and address the security challenges by ensuring that critical roads like the Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta road are completed in record time. According to Fashola, the government is considering alternative funding sources apart from the regular budgetary allocations from the Sukuk bond.
Rehabilitation on Nigeria’s Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta road kicks off
Rehabilitation work on the Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta road has kicked off after the government, through the Federal Ministry of Power, Works, and Housing, commissioned the rehabilitation project.
Julius Berger, a leading construction company in Nigeria has been awarded the project and has already commenced rehabilitation work around Sango Ota. The company is using earth-moving equipment, grading machines, and excavators to lay construction materials in the inner lane around the Joju Bus Stop area on the Ota-bound carriageway in Ogun State.
According to Olalekan Busari, Director of Federal Highways in Southwest, the road had been neglected by previous administrations before it was awarded again this month. Busari further said that the project was divided into two sections: section I, which begins from Ile Zik in Lagos covering 20 km, and Section II spans through Ogun State covering 60km.
The US $62.2m rehabilitation project is expected to be completed in two and a half years. However, the Federal Government is determined to fund the project in order to deliver it on time
Setbacks
Despite the Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta road suffering several setbacks, the Muhammadu Buhari administration is resuscitating it as part of its mandate to deliver infrastructure to Nigerians.
The project was initiated in 1999, with the first contract awarded in 2000 at a cost of US $32.2m, however, due to lack of funding, the project dragged until 2010. The project was later completed at a cost of US $40.6m.
