Long-awaited Apapa truck park ready by April end
Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, Mr Adedamola Kuti, has reassured residents that the trailer park in Apapa would be delivered to the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), for use by the end of April.
Trucks parked indiscriminately at Liverpool, Apapa
The contract for the construction of the park was awarded back in 2010, as part of the response to the intractable gridlock on the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, which has become worse. The project was awarded as a part of the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the road by Julius Berger and Borini Prono, but paucity of funds had stalled the completion of the work.
However, the project got a new light in 2018, when the Federal Executive Council (FEC), approved the augmentation of the contract cost from the initial N8.66 billion to N9.55 billion with the project expected to be delivered last December. More so, the lack of seashore protection line, which was not included in the original contract stopped it delivery.
But Kuti, who spoke recently at the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) Lagos Chapter 2019 Annual Public Lecture/Induction and Awards, said the project will ease the perennial Lagos gridlock because many articulated vehicles plying the seaports park their trucks on the narrow roads.
With the theme, “Integrated Modal Transport System – a panacea to incessant traffic congestion in Lagos megacity,” the controller assured of federal government’s efforts to cease the loss of man-hour in traffic congestion and delay in port operations.
Kuti, who received an award of excellence, said the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing had a maintenance master plan for all the bridges in Lagos, and had completed repairs on seven of them.
“As we speak, there is maintenance work ongoing on Alaka Bridge, Third Mainland Bridge, and Independence Bridge. It is a regular thing, and we would not allow a breakdown in Lagos,” he said
Also speaking, the Dean, Faculty of Engineering, University of Lagos, Mr Funsho Falade, said the facilities for mass transit in Lagos are insufficient, and called for the establishment of an integrated modal transportation system to tackle gridlock in Lagos.
Falade said the facilities could not achieve the purpose of providing fast, comfortable and convenient travel, hence, commuters preferred private transportation to mass transit, which led to huge increase in personal vehicle ownership.
“The resultant effects are too many vehicles on the road, leading to road congestion. There is need for an Integrated Modal Transportation System in Lagos, which will involve well coordinated combination of different modes of transportation like walking, cycling, car, rail transit, and bus transit system among others.
‘The aim is to reduce dependence on automobile as a major mode of transportation. This will invariably reduce congestion on the road and bring about comfort to the commuters.
“The system allows commuters to easily transfer from one mode of transportation to another,” he stated.
Managing Director, Lagos Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority (LAMATA), Abiodun Dabiri, said the state government was planning to harmonise the transportation system in Lagos.
He explained that the state’s bus reformation programme and establishment of bus terminals across the state were part of the processes to achieve the objective.
