Commuters and motorists, last week, heaved a sigh of relief as Lagos State Public Works Corporation started intervention in parts of Lagos where roads are in bad condition.

Before the recent intervention, residents have lamented the deplorable state of roads in the metropolis. Some of the affected roads are: Agege Motor Road by Terminal 2 (Olupese) and Terminal 2, Mushin; Aswani Road Off Osolo way, Oshodi-Isolo; Ijora Olopa Road inward Ido/Idumota by Iganmu Bridge & Causeway, Apapa; Ogombo Road by Abraham Adesanya, Eti-Osa; Lagos Abeokuta Expressway (Abule Taylor-Meiran/Pipeline Road Junction), Ifako Ijaiye; among others.

As a result of the deplorable state of the roads many motorists, who were forced to slow down in an attempt to meander through the roads, have been attacked by hoodlums, especially at nights.

Following heavy rains, The Guardian observed that interlocking paving stones were used in fixing other roads, such as: Idewu Road, Ajeromi Ifelodun; Ado Badore Road (Akins and Signboard sections), Eti-Osa; Old Abeokuta Expressway (Millennium Estate, Canal Section Suco Section), Ifako Ijaiye; CIPM Road, Amara Olu Street, Lateef Jakande Road Agidingbi/Ashabi Cole, Ikeja; Ibeshe Road, Ikorodu; and Prince Adesoji Ajose Road, Ogudu, Kosofe.

Speaking on the rehabilitation, the Corporation’s General Manager, Lateef Somide, said the work was ongoing despite challenges posed by the current weather condition to road maintenance.

According to him, though it is a fact that road maintenance activities were impeded during wet season, the Corporation has been structured to maintain presence on Lagos roads, to carry out road repair works using various approaches that suit different weather conditions.

Somide said: “While one must acknowledge the fact that our operations have been largely slowed down by the rains, we are still fixing roads in various parts of the state through our strategies anchored on using various methods to provide relief to road users as well as effective monitoring of the weather, which enables us to take full advantage of the dry days in between the rains.”

He said the use of ‘asphalt premix’ was the major approach to fixing roads, but production and usage of asphalt in wet season is not an efficient method, adding that “this is why we deploy our men to fix some roads with the use of interlocking paving stones, while several roads are being treated with palliative methods, especially with the use of boulders to provide temporary relief pending full rehabilitation during clement weather.’ ’

Speaking on the Corporations strategy of applying weather forecasts to planning its operations, Somide, noted that the agency has continued to make good use of dry days in between the rains, identified through weather forecasts by deploying its men under a round-the-clock system to fix bad portions on Lagos roads.

This, according to him, has made it possible for some roads to be done with asphalt pavement within the past five weeks. Some of the roads recently maintained using asphalt pavement include: Baale Street, Old Ojo Road; MBA Cardoso Road, Ajeromi-Ifelodun; Ipaja Road; Moshalasi Round/About-Iyana Ipaja, Alimosho; Falomo under bridge; Civic Centre – Lekki Expressway Ajah Inward Victoria Island, Eti-Osa; Fowowe Street, Iju, Ifako Ijaiye; Thomas Salako Street, Ikeja; Kings College Road, King George Street, Lagos Island; Town Planning Way by LSDPC spar; Coker Road, Mushin; Lisabi Street/Oguntolu Street, Somolu; Kudirat Abiola Way by NNPC Oregun and Capitol Road/Oyewole Road, Off Old Ipaja Road, Agege.

Also, the corporation has carried palliative work on some roads across the state using boulders and crushed stones. Some of such roads are Ijora Olopa Road Inward Ido/Idumota by Iganmu Bridge and Causeway, Apapa; Ogombo Road by Abraham Adesanya, Eti-Osa; Lagos Abeokuta Expressway (Abule Taylor-Meiran/Pipeline Road Junction), Ifako Ijaiye; Agunfoye Road, Ikorodu; Bola Ogunsanya Off Onanuga Tokunbo Macaulay Street, Shangisha, Kosofe; Ebute Ero Road, Lagos Island; Mokuolu Street, Ikeja and Kokoro Abu Street/Munirat Alaje, Ikorodu.

On the enormity of complaints on road defects by Lagosians across the state, the Corporation’s General Manager, said almost all roads calling for attention across the state have been captured in a repository through information obtained from its engineers covering various zones, official social media handles, phone calls, emails media reports and other channels open to members of the public.

He, however, assured Lagosians of his agency’s preparedness to aggressively fix all roads as the weather becomes more clement in pursuance of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s commitment to make Lagos roads remain motorable all year round.