It is described as the busiest highway in Nigeria. Every day of the
week, hordes of cars swarm the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway for one purpose
or another, moving from one direction to another, in a bid to get to
their various destinations.
As the major link road from Lagos, the commercial nerve of the country, to other states, the importance of the 105 kilometre expressway cannot be overstated. Yet, the reconstruction of the road has been shrouded in controversies and politicking, much to the suffering of motorists and commuters alike.
It was in 2009, the federal government handed over the expressway to Bi-Courtney Highway Services Limited, an Indigenous construction firm to concessionaire for reconstruction of the road, in order to ease traffic movement that had characterised the expressway due to the damages that caused incessant road accidents, and led to loss of lives.
The contract was a 25-year old Design, Build and Transfer (DBOT) arrangement with the federal government to reconstruct the road, in which Bi-Courtney was expected to make an investment towards the modernisation of the express.
However, just a few years into the agreement, the federal government decided to terminate the project, citing a breach of contract on the part of Bi-Courtney. Following that, the reconstruction project was handed over to Julius Berger Construction Company, who was to handle work from the old Toll Gate to Sagamu which forms Section I, while Reynolds Construction Company, (RCC), was to handle section II of the Expressway.
The Minister of Works, Mike Onolememen, had stated that the federal government had engaged the services of the aforementioned construction companies to start work on the road. He said: ‘’ the N167 billion project entailing rehabilitation, reconstruction and expansion works was awarded to two contactors. While Julius Berger would handle section I: from Lagos to Sagamu Interchange, RCC Nigeria will be responsible for section II: from Sagamu to Ibadan’’.
The Minister had stated then that the Lagos to Sagamu Interchange end of the road will be expanded to three lanes on either side, while the portion from Interchange to Ibadan will have the two existing lanes reconstructed.
As THISDAY visited the highway, where construction work is ongoing, it was inundated with complaints of the slow pace of work that has become a daily show on the road, which has led to heavy traffic build-up on the highway, frustrating motorists on a daily basis.
Asides that, there appear to be questions on the quality of material used in the construction of the roads, which could have fatal consequences for motorists who ply the expressway, this being more than a year after it was handed over to both construction firms.
A motorist, who plies the expressway regularly, told THISDAY that the experience is always horrible, as he has to be in heavy traffic gridlocks that delay him and deprive him of good business opportunity, a situation that is not pleasurable for him and his family.
Decrying the pace of work being carried out, a motorist, Mr. Tejumola Olajuwon, said: “I have not really been impressed with the level of work being done on the road. I sometimes wonder if the federal government wants to inflict suffering and pain on us the citizens intentionally, because this is a straight forward thing, the government ought to force their hands to work better and faster.
‘’The kind of trouble I go through on this road anytime I use this road is better imagined than experienced. Hardly a day passes that there is no traffic jam, either because of an accident or because a part of the road is bad. There is always something causing the traffic.
‘’But who should take the blame for that?, he asked, ‘’if they work faster and efficiently, then they would have been through with it, and that part that is closed will be accessible, so the truth is I am not impressed at all, until I begin to see progress. They might have good intentions but the suffering on the road is too much’’, he added.
As THISDAY observed, the roads even though appeared reconstructed, had many damaged portions that suggests that poor quality materials might have been used. From Conoil Filling station, up until the Sagamu Interchange, there were pockets of damaged spots that lined the road, and formed small ponds of water on the additional lanes being constructed, while further down the road to the section II, the condition of the roads appeared worse, even as very little work seems to have been carried out.
With a little over 200,000 vehicles plying the road daily, the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway is as busy as it gets.
As such, the highway is not just a link road, but an important socio-economic infrastructure that holds the bearing to the commercial success of Lagos State and Nigeria as a whole, as it serves to move goods and people.
At the commencement of the project estimated at N167 billion in 2013, President Goodluck Jonathan had charged the construction companies to do an efficient job, in terms of reconstruction and expansion of the road. The expressway was billed to be completed in 48 months.
The president said:‘’Today I am happy to inform you that we are ready to bequeath to Nigerians, a better and more durable road after 35 years when the first construction was made and completed. This event reflects government’s commitment to practically and relentlessly meet the yearnings of people and improve the national transport infrastructure’’, he said.
However, the reality appears to be that all is not well with the reconstruction efforts of the companies, as despite the charge by the federal government on quality of the Expressway and delivery time, very little appears to have changed.
Victor Maduabuchi, a cab driver, despite not being an expert on construction materials is less than impressed with the quality of the roads, and the pain it causes to the motorists.
According to Victor, ‘’this road is not being constructed well, if It was it will not keep breaking. They ought to have been done with this road, or at least some parts of it, but as you can see it is still going on.
‘’These days in fact, I barely go all the way to Sagamu because the traffic is a big problem. Nobody wants to stay in the traffic, but these trailers are not patient enough, they are always rushing, it is in the process of their reckless driving they start to damage this part of the Express.
‘’But what I believe is that the right quality construction materials are not being used, and that is why the roads keep breaking open, if it was the original them it would stand firm. The problem now is the more the roads continue to be damaged or continue to fall off, this construction will keep on being extended, and that is not good for my business.
‘’If this place remains closed, we have to use one lane, and too many
people want to go through this place, that is why there is always
traffic on the road. If there is serious traffic it affects work.
Everybody becomes stuck at the same place.”
With the concern for the quality of materials being used always a sore point in Road construction in the country, the snail-paced reconstruction currently ongoing on the Expressway could turn out to be a merry go round endeavour for those involved, but painfully to the detriment of Nigerians, many of whom have lost loved ones to the carnage that has been done to the road over the years.
Sharing this concern is an observer who notes that the apparent low quality of materials being used to reconstruct the road could have dangerous side effects for the people that ply the roads, especially considering the heavy duty trucks that use the Expressway unabated.
“It is a big concern; I work around here so I also take time to monitor the work that is being done. I just thank God that this is not raining season, because if it were, then the rain would have washed away the ground they say they worked on.
“The worst part of it is that, the part they say they have completed has been left like that since then, if it is good to be used, then why is it not open. They have to use the right materials and not compromise on it, because this is the lives of Nigerians we are talking about.
He however offered words of advice to the contractors, ‘’there is every tendency that the weather will eventually affect it, and then the heavy duty trucks that use the express lanes will also contribute to its damage and make it have contours. I must suggest that they scrap off all the old layers of asphalt and lay a fresh one, because if the one laid before is truly of inferior quality, then like I said, when it starts to rain, the weather will affect it. They will start constructing all over again’’, he opined.
To make matters worse, the plight of motorists who ply the ever busy expressway stranded in hours of traffic, a situation that has become normal these days, as a result of the ongoing reconstruction, but alarmingly also, due to the bad state of the roads which ought to have been repaired.
At intersections and U-turns, the situation is unpalatable for motorists, as even before the blink of an eye, long queues start to form, as each car tries to avoid the pot holes, gullies, and bad spots that line the road.
In cases of trucks or vehicles that breakdown, the situation becomes almost unbearable for motorists and passengers, as it causes obstruction to the free flow of traffic, while there is little or no help from the construction companies in clearing the road, and when help is offered, it is usually after a long period, when vehicles would have been stuck in the traffic gridlock for several hours.
With these challenges befalling the present contractors, many are asking why the federal government cancelled the initial arrangement of concessionaire with Bi-Courtney, especially as the company was vindicated of any wrong doing or breach of contract.
The Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, a federal government umpire headed by Chief Ernest Shonekan had absolved tBi-Courtney of any wrong doing and reeled out possible reasons that led to the failure of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway concession in line with the contractual agreement between both parties.
In 2011, the annual report of the ICRC presented to the president back in 2011 had noted that the implementation of the project was delayed due to various issues that were not properly spelled out by both parties in the agreement.
Identifying some of the issues that caused the skirmish in the agreement, the ICRC exonerated Bi-Courtney of any blame for project delay citing issues with approval for the design of the road, securing the Right of Way, financial model and environmental and social impact assessment
True, it is hard to argue that despite facing some challenges; Bi-Courtney an Indigenous company had a unique plan for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the road.
However, the termination of the contract was a chink in that armour of the project, and it cannot be disconnected from the many anomalies noticed in the present construction of the road, and the pains that confront motorists daily, even as that shift of plan has affected the speedy completion of the highway
SOURCE:THISDAY LIVE NEWS
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