…Governor: ‘Trespassers’ properties to go for road construction’
Barring any exigency, the construction of the long proposed Regional Road in Lekki-Ajah axis in Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State will take off before the end of May, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has said.
The Governor disclosed that all plans had been concluded to mobilise contractors to commence the construction work, but said there was need to remodel the design and alignment for the road in order to reclaim the right-of-way already encroached on by property developers along the corridor.
Sanwo-Olu made this known while on inspection tour of the Regional Road alignment on Saturday. The Governor was accompanied on the tour by his deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Idris Salako, Special Adviser on Works and Infrastructure, Mrs. Aramide Adeyoye, her counterpart in Drainage Services, Mr. Joe Igbokwe, and Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the Governor on Survey, Ola Odulate, among others.
It was the second time the Governor would be going round the alignment of the 9.3 kilometre-long, 45 metres wide road, which he described as strategic in the implementation of Lekki Masterplan Development.
After its completion, Sanwo-Olu said the road would not only bring traffic relief to commuters plying Lekki axis, but improve quality of life for residents of the area.
He said: “This is the second time in two months that we are going round the alignment of Regional Road. What it means is that, we are getting close to the reality of developing this corridor, which starts from somewhere close to Victoria Garden City (VGC) and terminates at Freedom Road in Lekki.
“The road, which is parallel to Lekki-Epe Expressway, is strategic for us in our Lekki Masterplan Development programme. While we went round the alignment, we discovered that there are so many estates behind this place. Construction of Regional Road will not only give relief, it would also enhance movement and improve quality of life for our people.
“There has been encroachment on the identified right-of-way. What we are doing now is to see how to resolve all these issues before we go into final tendering process to pick the would-be contractor for the job.”
Sanwo-Olu said much of the right-of-way for the proposed road remained intact from encroachment; he added that properties built within the road alignment would be pulled down to allow the construction.
He said there was no going back on the development of the road, adding that Government would be meeting with the owners of the affected properties to discuss relocation plan.
He said: “We want the people to know that this Regional Road is part of the development that will ease the Fourth Mainland Bridge we will be constructing. It is strategic because it would ease pressure off the Lekki-Epe Expressway. In future, there is another highway that will extend from Freedom Road to Ilubrin and Third Mainland Bridge. We are hoping that before our first anniversary in office, the contractor would have moved to site for the construction of the Regional Road.”
