The Federal Ministry of Works has disclosed that the contractor handling the rehabilitation of the Lagos Ibadan Expressway, Julius Berger would construct a 25 kilometre road as a temporary diversionary route in order to allow serious engineering work be completed on sections of the main road.
Mr Godwin Eke, who is a Deputy Director in the ministry made the announcement in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
He said the building of the makeshift road was to divert vehicles, noting that work would continue on the road’s main carriageway.
The deputy director said that the old road would be completely removed to give way for the new project, adding that milling of the road would be done sectionally.
“The entire road would be milled but it would be section by section.
“First, the contractor, Julius Berger has to plan diversion while working on the carriageway, what we are doing now is temporary diversion so that the main work would start.’’
He explained that five kilometres of the makeshift road had been built on the Ibadan-bound section and was currently being extended by another five kilometres.
Eke explained that five kilometres was also being built on the Lagos-bound carriageway, starting from the Shagamu Interchange.
The deputy director said that 25 kilometres would be built by the end of this month.
He said, however, that all the constructions were temporary and that permanent construction would soon begin on the Lagos-bound section starting from Shagamu.
Eke, who is the officer in charge of Section One reconstruction of the highway, said that diversion signs would be placed 100 metres from the constructed portions to guide those coming to Lagos from Abeokuta and other areas.
He said that building of the permanent road would begin from the Shagamu Interchange because of high traffic on the Lagos side, adding that, a traffic management plan was being concluded and “would be ready this week”.