Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has announced that his administration would complete the construction of the 14.7km Ijebu-Ode-Epe Expressway and make it ready for use by Christmas.
Abiodun made this known during an assessment tour of the road, shortly after receiving assurance from the contractors that about eight to nine kilometres of one lane of the road would be completed in the next 10 days.
“The entire stretch going all the way from Epe to Ijebu-Ode would be completed by Christmas,” the governor said in a statement on Saturday titled, ‘Ijebu-Ode-Epe Expressway will be ready for Christmas – Abiodun’.
He explained that the award of the interchange flyover, which would be in the form of a loop, was awarded to ensure that accidents did not occur on the road as had been witnessed in other interchanges or other intersections in the past.
Abiodun said, “The contractors have assured me that they will intensify work on this road. I have insisted because we have Christmas approaching. I have insisted that they must complete one segment of this road, one lane of this road all the way to Ijebu-Ode.
“They, in turn, assured me that in the next 10 days, they would have completed about eight to nine kilometres of one lane and have promised to ensure that by Christmas, the entire stretch, going all the way from Epe to Ijebu-Ode will be completed.
“Furthermore, we’ve just awarded the interchange flyover contract that will allow for ease of flow of traffic from this road into Ijebu-Ode and onto the expressway, so that we do not have a situation where people are speeding on this road and they run onto the Sagamu-Ore Expressway and then we begin to have accidents like we’ve seen in other interchanges or other intersections.
“It is going to be a loop and it has been awarded. The contractor has started mobilising and getting ready to begin that loop.”
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The governor further explained that the opening of the road would provide more opportunities for commercial activities to thrive and increase the efficiency of travel on the road, which would not only connect Ogun to Lagos State but other parts of the country.
He also said the road would help to reduce the burden of traffic on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
The governor further said his administration had awarded the construction of the Molipa Expressway while construction work would soon commence as the contractors had been mobilised.
Abiodun added, “This road connects not just Ogun State to Lagos State; it connects the rest of the Mid-Western Nigeria to the eastern part of the country. By doing this road, we are increasing the efficiency of travel, longevity of the road itself.
“This stretch will now be open to more industrial activity as you will know that Lagos is expanding along the Lekki corridor. This is where you have the free trade zone, Dangote Refinery. Industrial expansion is in this area. We are also opening up this road to increase economic activity.”
