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Abaranje residents want bridge to link Egan, Igando

By Adelowo Adebumiti
04 March 2018   |   4:12 am
Traffic gridlock is a regular feature of Lagos State, and for the most part, a constant source of worry, and concern for its residents.

Traffic gridlock is a regular feature of Lagos State, and for the most part, a constant source of worry, and concern for its residents.

Worried by the constant traffic gridlock and hardship road users undergo during rush hours at junctions of Egbe, Isolo Road, Ikotun/Igando Road, and Abaranje Road, Ikotun, as well as Ikotun Roundabout, stakeholders and residents of Igando, Egan, and Abaranje communities in Igando-Ikotun Local Council Development Area (LCDA) have again called on the state government to construct a bridge to link Abaranje with Egan, in Igando.

According to them, the K and S Street, Abaranje/Mufutau Olorunfemi Street, Egan Link Bridge, when constructed, would reduce stress on the Ikotun Roundabout, Igando T- Junction, Ijegun Road/Abaranje T-Junction, and also serve as a better access road to Ijegun, Okerube, Ijagemo, Egan, Igando, Akesan, Iyana Iba, Isheri Olofin, Iyana Ipaja, Badagry, Apapa, Lagos Island, among others.

Speaking to The Guardian on the challenges posed by the delay in constructing the bridge, Chairman, Ifelodun Abaranje Community Development Association (CDA), Rafim Hazeem, said the road on which the bridge is located on has been thoroughly degraded by erosion.

He said: “Whenever it rains, the drainage is overwhelmed. Even the concrete poles, with high-tension cable close to the drainage sometimes gives way. We are lucky that the last time one of them fell, there was no public power supply, hence no one was injured, or electrocuted. Sadly, the road itself has become impassable for motorists.”

Describing the link bridge as “very significant not just for the community, but for all motorists plying the area,” Hazeem noted that those, who have no business going to Ikotun are now compelled to go through the roundabout, which is always very congested, instead of using the bridge to gain access to Egan Expressway that links the community to most parts of Lagos.

Tracing the community’s efforts towards the construction of the bridge and the road, the CDA chairman said the council area first worked on the road six years ago, before it was abandoned.

He said: “We thought the council was going to complete the road when they started digging the drainage, but unfortunately, it was abandoned for six years.”

Hazeem revealed that the council later awarded contract to some individuals to construct a wooden bridge across the canal to link the affected community, despite it being a state road.

The chairman added: “What we later learnt was that the contract awarded by the council was just a palliative measure. Now, we are expecting the state government to come and construct a standard bridge. We have written to the state government, which has acknowledged the receipt of our letter.”

According to him, the letter, which was signed by chairmen of all the CDAs in the area, dated September 16, 2015, was received and stamped by the Office of the Chief of Staff to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode.

Hazeem, who said the feedback the community has received from the state indicated that the letter was receiving attention, appealed to the government to treat the matter expeditiously in order to make access to other parts of state from the area easy for residents and motorists.

“They (government) should ensure that the K and S Road that connects the bridge, the bridge itself and Harmony Estate Road, are constructed so that we can have easy access to other parts of the state,” Hazeem said.

Chairman, Mufutao Olorunfemi Resident Association, Egan, Gbolaro Oke, who said the state road that links Egan/Igando to Abaranje and other areas should be fixed in order to alleviate the sufferings of members of the public.

“We are aware that going by the state’s master plan, any state road that is constructed will go with other infrastructure such as drainages, and streetlights, so we are calling on the governor to facilitate an end to these years of neglect of the area by the state.

Also calling on the state government to fast track action on the bridge, the Financial Secretary of the association, Mr. Taofeek Aderupoko, noted that the state government stands to benefit more if the communities are linked together through the bridge.

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