Vehicles plying the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway inward the Ibafo-Mowe, Ogun State axis were again grounded by traffic on Saturday as a result of the ongoing reconstruction of the expressway.
The four-lane road was collapsed into one, affecting the flow of traffic.
Passengers had to alight from buses to trek from the Otedola axis to Berger in search of respite from the situation.
From the Secretariat Bus Stop, passengers lined the road in their droves, walking briskly down towards the Berger Bus Stop, even as it drizzled.
It was learnt that a truck had broken down right after Otedola bridge, worsening the traffic situation.
A nursing mother, Mrs. Bisi Akinola, who backed her child and carried a small bag on her head, said she joined a bus from the Toll Gate Bus stop and was charged N500 as fare to Berger Bus Stop.
She, however, abandoned the bus and joined the other passengers who trekked to Berger.
According to her, it was better than waiting in the car, as the traffic did not seem to move.
“I live at Lotto, Ogun State. If I keep waiting, what time will I get home? I have left the N500 for the driver. He refused to give me a refund. I will trek with my child to Berger and take a motorbike down to my house. It is better for me. I don’t mind the rain”, she said.
She also begged the government to urge the construction company, Julius Berger Nigeria, to complete the construction speedily and ease traffic on the expressway.
Lagos-Ibadan Expressway traffic is now so bad that vendors cook and sell rice and beans in open plates, wait for you to finish eating, collect the plate and wash them to serve the next vehicle. This is how bad the gridlock is”, a motorist lamented to Sunday Vanguard yesterday.
A construction worker, Samuel Okaka, said he left Iyana-Oworo at 12 pm and was yet to get to Berger as of 5.34 pm when our correspondent spoke to him.
“As you can see, the traffic is terrible. Nothing is moving. I am tired. All my body aches from the stress I have gone through today. It is better I trek. I have begged the driver to give me some refund so I can begin my journey”, he said.
At the New Garage area, the entire road was reduced to one lane as construction activities took one-third of the road.
In a traffic advisory on Friday, the Permanent Secretary of the the Lagos State Ministry of Transportation, Mr. Abduhafiz Toriola urged motorists to avoid the expressway, but rather go through alternative routes.
According to him, that was in line with the Federal Government’s announcement of traffic diversion on the expressway, as construction works on the corridor reached the concluding stages.
According to the diversion plan announced by the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos State, Mrs. Olukorede Kesha, motorists were advised to take the exit from the New Garage Bus Stop on Lagos bound carriageway en route River Valley Estate, Isheri and Ogunusi Road will be closed to traffic.
