Motorists and commercial drivers plying the Sagamu–Ijebu-Ode expressway have raised concerns over the slow pace of construction on the corridor, saying it has intensified traffic congestion and led to a huge loss of man-hours.

They appealed to the Federal Government to prevail on the contractor handling the project to speed up work and ease the gridlock.

Some drivers who operate on the expressway, the interchange and adjoining routes said passenger patronage had dropped sharply since construction began, noting that many commuters now take alternative routes to avoid delays.

A visit by The Guardian to the interchange axis showed sections of the road blocked for construction, while vehicles heading towards Abeokuta were forced to share a single narrow carriageway, moving bumper-to-bumper.

A driver, Abayomi Adeyinka, said the partial closure of the road had led to accidents in the area.

“It is really affecting us. In fact, it has caused an accident in which passengers died at Atunwase. Some ‘Yahoo Boys’ who took one-way were also involved in an accident last October. Most of those coming from the North and East are the ones causing the traffic,” he said.

Adeyinka added that his daily earnings had dropped by more than half since work started, and he appealed to the Federal Government to ensure the contractor fast-tracks the project, as he was now struggling to meet his bills.

“They should have opened some portion of the road fully because if the road is opened, it contains the vehicles and there won’t be traffic congestion. The ongoing construction also affects the passengers; sometimes they have to trek before they get to where they want to take another vehicle,” he noted.

An official of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, Ademola Adeniji, urged motorists to endure the hardship caused by the construction, insisting that road users would benefit when the project is completed.

On his part, the Ogun State spokesperson of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Afolabi Odunsi, attributed the persistent gridlock largely to impatience and poor lane discipline among drivers.

He said many road users were eager to claim the right of way around multiple diversions created by the construction, urging them to cooperate with traffic agencies and consider alternative routes to reduce pressure on the expressway.

Odunsi said the command was on top of the situation.

“Due to the ongoing construction works on Sagamu–Ijebu-Ode expressway, there have been severe traffic snarls and wasted man-hours, basically due to impatience and lane indiscipline, and also claiming right of way,” he said.

“This is a recurring occurrence on this corridor. Men of the command have been engaged most of the time in restoring order to the expressway. We will continue to appeal to the motoring public to exercise patience and caution when traversing this route and to cooperate with traffic agencies. They can also take alternative routes to reduce pressure on this corridor, hence fewer incidents.” (The Guardian)