Road rehabilitation causes traffic nightmare for Isolo residents

Residents of Isolo, Jakande Estate and the neighbouring Ire-Akari Estate have expressed frustration over the persistent gridlock caused by ongoing major road rehabilitation in their areas.

The Guardian learned that the road construction had been underway for two years with little visible progress.

Residents and motorists complained that the road had been partitioned in half, with heavy machinery like tractors and bulldozers further hindering traffic flow.

One resident, Mr Ojo, revealed that the contract was awarded to an individual during the tenure of a particular political party at the Isolo/Oshodi Local Council Development Area (LCDA).

However, the project has faced continuous delays since the Chairman of that party was removed from office. He lamented that residents have resorted to walking rather than enduring long hours stuck in traffic.

Justus Okeh, a spare parts seller at the Ladipo auto parts market who lives in Jakande Estate, shared his experience.

Since the construction began two years ago, he has resorted to cycling to his shop daily to avoid spending hours in traffic from Jakande to Iyana-Isolo. This journey previously took only 10 minutes.

“The bicycle is now my mode of transport, as you can see,” he said. “I have a car, but when I realised that taking a keke Marwa from Jakande Estate to Iyana Isolo would take almost four hours, I decided it wasn’t worth it.”

He expressed his dissatisfaction with the contractor’s slow progress. “You can see the lukewarm attitude of the contractor. They have been constructing these gutters for the past two years, and you can see the level of work done.”

He questioned when the actual road construction would begin and be completed. “They are digging up the ground and re-digging with no visible result. Is this how to rehabilitate a road?”

He also described his alternative route to avoid the congestion on Mushin Road.

“Sometimes, when I cannot navigate through Mushin road because, as you can see, every motorist is using the half road, I ride through Ilasa through Ire-Akari Estate and towards the Okota road, and before you know it, I am home.”

He urged the government and its agencies to closely monitor the project to ensure it is delivered on time.