Kunle Awosiyan
The traffic situation in Lagos has gone worse since Julius Berger, the construction firm working on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway closed a portion of the road around Seven Up Bus Stop.
Commuters now spend seven hours on a journey of one hour between Lagos Island, Oshodi and Berger Bus Stop, Ojodu area of Lagos.
Our correspondent who monitored the traffic situation observed that the heavy traffic that began on Monday had persisted till Saturday.
As at the time of filing this story, there was heavy traffic along the axis with so many commuters stranded.
The heavy downpour also aggravated the traffic situation as men of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA and workers of the construction firm had left the road.
The few commercial buses that plied the road capitalised on the ugly situation to increase the transport fare by more than 200 per cent.
The cost of transportation between Tollgate and Berger had increased from N100 to N300 while Mowe and Ibafo passengers now pay about N1000 to move between 7up Bus Stop and their destinations.
Speaking to our correspondent, a commuter who identified herself as Mrs. Foluso Abraham lamented that she had been at the Secretariat Bus Stop for two hours but could not get a bus going to Berger due to the heavy traffic.
Abraham told Echonews that the situation had become so bad that she spent 10 hours to travel from Apapa where she works to Ojodu where she lives on Thursday.
Another commuters who simply identified himself as Mr. Tairu Hakeem described the traffic situation as killing, adding that it could kill some people if not quickly addressed.
Before the construction work began around the Tollgate axis, the Lagos State Government redirected the movement of vehicles at the State Accident Emergency Management Bus Stop for a U-turn.
It also allowed vehicles coming from the Third Mainland Bridge to navigate CMD Road through Ikosi, the new direction has not solved the situation.
The construction firm had deployed all its workers and equipment to fix the remaining portion of the road, inward and outward Lagos, between Tollgate and New Garage Bus Stop,Berger so that it could meet up with the completion deadline as set by the Federal Government.
Recall that the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN) had said that the project would be completed before May 29 swearing-in of a new government.
As it stands today April 29, there are no indications that the project will be delivered soon.
