By Moses Akaigwe
The diversion of traffic on Eko Bridge in Lagos will commence today {Monday, September 16, 2024}, and will last for eight weeks.
The Lagos State Government last weekend announced that the diversion was to facilitate emergency repairs on the bridge by the Federal Ministry of Works.
A press statement by the Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Oluwaseun Osiyemi, said the repairs would be carried out in four phases, during which the bridge would be fully or partially closed intermittently, depending on the work schedule.
He, therefore, advised motorists to use the following alternative routes during the repairs:
“Motorists heading to the Island from Funsho Williams Avenue can make use of the service lane at Alaka to connect Costain and access Eko Bridge to continue their journeys.
“Alternatively, Motorists heading to the Island can access Costain to connect Eko Bridge to link Apongbon for their destinations.
“Motorists can also connect Apongbon inwards Eko Bridge to link Costain to access Funsho Williams Avenue.
“Motorists can also make use of Costain inwards Alaka/Funsho Williams Avenue or alternately go through Apapa Road from Costain and link Oyingbo to access Adekunle to link Third Mainland Bridge for their desired destinations.
“In the same vein Motorists heading to Surulere are advised to use Costain to link Breweries inwards Abebe Village to connect Eric Moore/Bode Thomas to get to their destinations.”
The Commissioner for Transportation assured that Lagos State Traffic Management Authority officers would be deployed to the rehabilitation areas and alternative routes to minimize travel delays and inconvenience.
In a related development, the Lagos State Government has announced the commencement of the e-call up system for managing truck movements within Lekki-Epe Free Trade Zone corridor from September 23, 2024.
The new system is intended to avert severe congestion by articulated truck and improve the efficiency of logistics operations within the Free Trade Zone.
The commencement date was earlier extended on stakeholders request to give adequate room for full compliance. The e-call up system is ready for implementation for a sustainable, effective and technology-driven solution of truck movement in the Lekki-Epe Corridor.
Disclosing the new commencement date, the State Commissioner for Transportation explained that the application of e-call up system would help synchronise movement of trucks assessing the Lekki Deep seaport and other industries within the corridor, starting from Eleko junction to Lekki Free Trade Zone.
Highlighting the state and Federal Government plans on road network expansion and inter-modal transport systems to streamline vehicular traffic and enhancing free movement in one of Lagos’ most critical economic zones, Osiyemi opined that the e-call system will control the corridor.
Also speaking on the development, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Hon. Sola Giwa, who is saddled with the enforcement of the e-call up system mentioned that an interim arrangement is being put in place to decongest the roads through evacuation of all illegal tankers from the red zone.
This, he said, would be habdled by a joint TASKFORCE of the State, LGAs/LACDAs, Security Agencies and Stakeholders, urging truck operators and logistics companies to comply with the new system to ensure its success.
The e-call up system, an advanced digital platform, is designed to regulate the entry and exit of trucks in the Lekki-Epe area by scheduling and coordinating their movements. This system will help prevent the chaotic traffic situations often caused by the indiscriminate parking and movement of trucks within the corridor.
The Lekki-Epe corridor, a key economic hub in Lagos, is home to numerous industries, including the Lekki Free Trade Zone, the Dangote Refinery, and the Lekki Deep Sea Port.
The efficient movement of goods and services in this area is crucial for the state’s economy, making the e-call up system an essential tool for sustainable development.
