- The federal government approved N64billion for additional work on Lagos-Ibadan expressway
- The additional work includes construction of pedestrian bridges and toll plazas
- The minister of power, works and housing, Fashola, explained that the additional work was not included in the design inherited from the previous administration
The Federal Executive Council on Wednesday, April 25, approved N64.108bn for additional work on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
Punch reports that the additional work will be done on Section I of the road from Lagos to the Sagamu interchange.
NAIJ.com gathered that the minister of power, works and housing, Babatunde Fashola, disclosed this at the end of a meeting of the council presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
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Fashola said the additional work would cover pedestrian bridges as well as toll plazas for that section in order to accommodate the changing nature of the road.
He stated: “The council approved additional work on Section 1 of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. The council approved additional work on over 43.6 kilometres for N64.108bn, which covers pedestrian bridges and toll plazas for that section so as to accommodate the changing nature of that road.
“Since its conception, so many new structures: religious institutions, factories, universities and increased human activities, have come up along that road.
“The inherited design didn’t provide for these at all. The additional work is also to modify the quality of bitumen, polymer modified bitumen, in order to deal with the heavy cargo that passes through that road.
“The first section is handled by Julius Berger. The second section under RCC, which covers over 80 kilometres, will come to council to incorporate similar work, including drainage work when we finish the procurement.”
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Fashola added that the council approved the award of the Subaila-Falala-Bini-Baku-Bauchi Road that connects Kano and Bauchi states for N4.578bn.
Meanwhile, NAIJ.com had previously reported that the Yoruba Council of Elders, a pan Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, and a youth organisation, Yoruba Socio-Cultural Association, blamed the executive arm of government and the National Assembly for the suspension of work on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
Reynolds Construction Company Nigeria Limited, which handles the expansion of Section II of the Lagos-Ibadan highway, in a letter dated June 2, 2017, called the attention of Fashola to the worsening financial obligations to the project.
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Source: Naija.ng