Huge Container Traffic On Lagos Roads Reduces Durability – Commissioner

container

The Lagos State Government has blamed the recurrent incident of road damage in the state to the increasing volume of axle load and containers coming through the ports to other parts of the country.

In statement on Thursday, state Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, noted that the state roads carried over 90 per cent of containers coming through the ports to Nigeria.

Hamzat said no society “uses their roads the way we use ours. Water must drain off quickly but we use the drainage channels as garbage can thus clog them. We then state that communities must begin to take ownership of projects.”

“The state’s resources are finite not infinite and as such we must make choices and set our priorities right in project development.

“There are challenges relating to relocation of services which invariably constrains the time frame envisaged for project delivery. Though interacting with some of agencies of government can be challenging, there is an understanding being developed to ensure prompt action,” Hamzat explained.

According to the commissioner, Lagos roads “have been built to internationally accepted standard and specifications with such new features as an expanded carriage, street lightings, pedestrian walks and service ducts and designed to last 15-20 years.

“We are now a megacity by virtue of our population. By virtue of the UN position for us to comply with best practices, we must expand the size of our roads, introduce walkways and in some instances provide bicycle lanes among others. We must also directly respond to the challenges of waste generation and the ensuing prosperity of people.”

The commissioner described as sacrosant, the commitment to the redevelopment of inner road networks in the state, noting that a team of top state officials visited 14 projects within Ikeja, Eti-Osa and Lekki areas of the State.

The projects inspected include the Multi – Agency Office Complex, Alausa, Magistrate Court, Ikeja, ongoing reconstruction of Yaya Abatan/College Road, Surulere Industrial Road, Off Acme Road, Simbiat Abiola Road, Kodesho Road, St. Gregory’s Way, Obalende, Unity/1st Avenue/ Ivory Road, Osapa and Orile Ilasan Awe road, and the Obalende Transformation Initiative project.

The Commissioner, who said roads developed are chosen on the basis of their carrying capacity, population and presence of outfall, said the 14 projects visited represents only 4 percent of ongoing projects.