Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu., has commissioned the 18.75-kilometre Eti Osa-Lekki-Epe Expressway in Lagos State, turning the two-lane road into a six-lane carriageway.

After inaugurating the completed first phase of the road on Wednesday, Sanwo-Olu immediately flagged off the second phase of the road project, which will extend the construction from Eleko axis to Abraham Adesanya Roundabout.

The governor, however, said the project’s second phase would be done in two segments for ease of funding and to reduce the traffic impact of the construction work on commuters.

The 18.6km first segment, Governor Sanwo-Olu said would take off from Eleko to Awoyaya and to critical sections around Majek and Ogidan. Second segment, which is 11km, will kick off at Ogidan to Abraham Adesanya Roundabout.

He said the development marked another effort by his administration at investing in infrastructure that would impact positively on the socio-economic well-being of the residents.

Before the intervention, the governor said the expressway was in critical condition, creating agony for travellers, and causing pain in the movement of goods and services.

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He said: “Inauguration of this road project we are opening today is coming after 40 years the infrastructure was originally constructed as a rural cross-section without drain. Our administration flagged off the reconstruction and upgrading of the Eti-Osa-Lekki-Epe Expressway from the existing two-lane to a three-lane dual carriageway with reinforced concrete pavement and with a lane in each direction dedicated for trucks to accommodate the envisaged axle loads.

“This event does not only mark the opening of Phase 1 of the project, we are also flagging off the commencement of Phase 2 of the work. The entire project will set the Lekki-Epe corridor on the path of socio-economic prosperity and progress. This corridor is fast emerging as an urban economic hub. The growth must come with infrastructure investment that will support the development. The infrastructure will not only bring relief to residents plying the road, it will also ease the transportation of goods, whileencouraging industrial development in the Lekki Free Zone.”

Sanwo-Olu urged the residents of the state to take ownership of the infrastructure, asking them to protect its facilities from vandals in order to continue to serve them.

He, however, expressed appreciation to the Ibeju Lekki residents and Community Development Associations (CDAs) for their unflinching support and cooperation throughout the construction period of the first stretch.

Governor Sanwo-Olu also appealed to motorists on the axis to be patient, given the perennial traffic being experienced along the Lekki-Epe Expressway occasioned by the ongoing construction of the project’s Phase 2 and the work on regional road.

On her part, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Works and Infrastructure, Engr. Aramide Adeyoye, said the Eti Osa-Lekki-Epe Expressway was long overdue for upgrading, given its deplorable condition that reduced journey from 35 minutes to over four hours.

She said the commuters’ pains were compounded by upsurge in activities of Lekki recently commissioned Deep Sea Port, Dangote Refinery and other multinational businesses sites around the Lekki Free Trade Zone corridor.

Adeyoye said repairs hitherto carried out on the carriageway only delivered short-term and could no longer be sustainable, justifying the need for permanent solution to address drainages, outfalls, and weariness.

The Star