After three years of Waiting, Bi-Courtney Highways Services Limited said on Monday that finally, it has begun construction work on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
To do that, it engaged the services of two firms — Messrs Borino Prono Construction Company and China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) , for the project.
A statement issued by Bi-Courtney’s spokesman, Mr. Dipo Kehinde, said, “The reconstruction exercise will go on simultaneously in four critical portions of the road. We urge motorists to drive with care, observe the rules and obey traffic signs. The reconstruction will go on simultaneously in the four portions. It will begin from Kilometre 32, to Sagamu, towards Ibadan.”
 |
| Mr. Olusegun K. Ahmadu (middle), the Chairman, Project Implementation Committee on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, with Engr. Gbenga Babalola, the Project Adviser (Yolas Consultant), and Piero Adami,Borini Prono site agent, working at Km 32 on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway yesterday. |
To help control traffic during the construction period, Bi-Courtney said it has engaged traffic control officers and flaggers.
The company solicited the support of the Nigeria Police Force, National Union of Road Transport Workers, Federal Road Safety Corps, Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps, tanker owners, and other road users.
Controversies that have trailed this project since 2009 when the Ministry of Works entered into the concession agreement with Bi-Courtney to rehabilitate, expand, build, operate and transfer the 10-kilometre road. are elicited below:
- The reconstruction work could, however, not commence immediately following controversies and litigation over the Right of Way.
- The concessionaire was also finding it difficult to raise funds as the international financier it contacted reportedly demanded guarantees from the Federal Government and an assurance that it would recoup its investment after the construction.
- State governments in the South-West region had similarly indicated interest in rehabilitating the road due to its economic significance to their area.
- As a result of this, Bi-Courtney had accused the Ogun State Government under Senator Ibikunle Amosun of frustrating its efforts to actualise the project.
- There was also a controversy about the true value of the project, which prompted President Goodluck Jonathan to order its review.
- Although the concessionaire had been carrying out remedial works on the road, the spate of accidents and causality rate had been increasing, prompting calls on the Federal Government to terminate the concession agreement.
- The FRSC recently declared that the expressway recorded the highest number of road crashes in the country.
- Jonathan was said to have recently expressed unhappiness about the delay in the execution of the project and the failure of the parties to reach a common position on the review of the agreement.
- He reportedly ordered that they should return to the original agreement, thus paving the way for the Bi-Courtney to commence the reconstruction work.
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com