President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime has apologised for the hardship road users face on the Berger-OPIC axis of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, encouraging them to endure.

“The government feels the pains of the people, especially residents of Lagos and Ogun states, who are at the receiving end of the inconveniences due to the gridlock,” said the acting federal controller of works in Lagos, Forosola Oloyede.

According to a statement issued on Saturday, she also announced plans to improve traffic management.

Motorists plying the axis have spent long hours in gridlock daily, a situation with the hardship getting worse in the last three days.

The federal controller added, “In conclusion, it is a known fact that there is no pain without gain; thus, our utmost belief is that the general public would be the ultimate beneficiaries of the world-class road infrastructure that the government plans to deliver through the ongoing reconstruction works on the road.”

She appealed for the cooperation of the public. 

Mrs Oloyede said the Buhari regime was not oblivious of the current traffic gridlock due to the ongoing reconstruction. She promised that the government would make necessary improvements in the road’s traffic management system to alleviate the road users’ suffering.

“To this end, the Federal Ministry of Works has concluded plans with the contractor to suspend the works for today, Saturday 27th August 2022, in order to plan and make provisions for required improvements in traffic management on the road,” she said.

According to the federal controller, the highway under construction bears daily heavy vehicular volume, and the contractor managed the traffic through dedicated diversions while carrying on construction works.

The acting controller appealed to all road users to cooperate with the contractor and traffic management officers toward a free traffic flow throughout the construction period.

She urged motorists to observe safe driving rules, desist from driving against traffic and obey all dedicated road diversions to prevent unnecessary road delays.

“There is also provision for tow trucks along the road should in case of any breakdown, road users should be patient by not driving against traffic and obeying stationed road traffic officers in order to allow for free flow of traffic,” Mrs Oloyede further explained. 

(NAN)