Lagos pledges completion of road, bridge projects

The Lagos State Government has assured residents of the state of its resolve to complete all ongoing road and bridge infrastructure projects across the state.

Cabinet members of the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu led government, including the Special Adviser, Office of Infrastructure, Olufemi Daramola and the Commissioner For Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, and other officials, gave the assurance during a tour of five strategic road infrastructure projects on Friday.

Some of the projects visited during the tour include the ongoing construction of the Abiola-Onijemo Link Road with bridge, the Ikeja Urban Regeneration Project spanning 5 kilometres consisting of five roads such as Oduduwa Way, Oduduwa Cresent, Oba Dosunmu, Sobo Arobiodu, and Sasegbon Streets.

Also visited during the tour were the Opebi Mende-Link Bridge and Roads, Arowojobe Link Bridge and Approach Road in Maryland, as well as Agidi Demurin and Church Street Network in Kosofe Local Government Area.

The project tour also took the government officials to Saint  Finbarrs Road (UNILAG) to Abule Okuta-Soluyi (Deeper  Life Church in Kosofe Local Government Area).

During the visit, the Commissioner and Special Adviser expressed satisfaction with the pace and quality of work on the projects.

They commended the contractors and project teams for their dedication and commitment to delivering world-class infrastructure.

Speaking in an interview, Omotoso, who expressed satisfaction with the level of ongoing work on project sites said the state government had been engaging youths and students to be abreast of new trends in technology.

Omotosho said, “We have been going around since morning, and what we have seen is testimony to the fact that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu is not resting on his oars.

“There are so many things that have been completed and so many in the pipeline.

“We saw that despite the rains, contractors were at work; it shows that we’re forging ahead despite the weather.”

Also, the Special Adviser Office of Infrastructure said that although the weather had slowed down the spate of work on construction sites, the contractors were working assiduously to ensure the completion of the projects they were handling, as most of the projects would be completed before the end of the year.

“This tour is part of our effort to ensure that all our contractors are up and running. Most of the projects have made very commendable progress, and, be that as it may, the major challenge in time is the issue of rain.

“The issue of the weather is very critical; however, I assure you that public works are up and running,” he said.

“These iconic projects demonstrate the administration’s commitment to delivering world-class infrastructure, driving economic growth, and transforming the state into a hub of innovation and progress,” he added.

Speaking on the need to engage local engineers and students in higher institutions on some of the construction projects, Daramola said it was important to localise the construction works to ensure continuous transfer of knowledge in roads and bridge construction in the state.

One of the interns on-site during the tour, Apologun Onetere, described the experience as thrilling.

“I have learned a lot about piling, which is the foundation of building a bridge. It’s so refreshing to see things in practice. I appreciate this experience,” the 400-level student at Babcock University said.

According to an assessment check, it was gathered, Arowojobe Link Bridge and Road are 75 per cent complete; St. Finbarrs Road is 70 per cent complete; the Abiola-Onijemo Link Road with Bridge is 80 per cent complete; the Ikeja GRA regeneration project is 85 per cent complete; and the Opebi-Mende Link Bridge and Roads are 85 per cent complete.