LAGOS, NIGERIA – Repair of Nigeria’s main access road to its major seaports, the two-kilometer stretch Wharf Road, from the Area ‘B’ Police Command to the Apapa Port, has commenced. The repair work which is being financed by the Dangote Group, Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc. and Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) at the cost of N4.3 billion started about a month ago, according to the contractor and will take one year to be executed.
As AG Dangote, the contractor handling the repair of Ijora-Wharf road, makes progress on a section of the degraded road, with resultant traffic congestion, the authorities have unveiled some alternative routes motorists can gain access and exit Apapa to avoid being trapped on Ijora-Apapa bridge.
A section of the road (outbound Apapa) around the Area ‘B’ Police Command had since been cordoned off, with traffic now diverted to the Leventis corridor through Flour Mills, to connect the Ijora-Apapa Bridge.
The alternative routes obtained by BusinessDay from the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) advised inbound Apapa motorists to use Oshodi-Apapa Expressway through Mile 2 and Tin Can Port axis to connect wharf. Motorists can also access the port community through the Oto-Wharf road, from Mile 2, connecting Boundary in Ajegunle via Mobile Road.
Other alternative routes in the LASTMA’s advice include Orile through Alafia Road connecting Boundary roundabout into Apapa; Berger Suya through Ajegunle, Boundary roundabout, connecting Apapa.
“Motorists from Lagos are to exit the bridge by descending Marine Beach bridge loop into Lily Pond Cargo Terminal or the second exit point to connect Mobil Road en-route Apapa. From Area ‘B’ through Liverpool Road, connect Warehouse Road towards Wharf,”
To exit Apapa, motorists should access Creek Road through Tin Can to connect Mile 2. “Motorists can also access Area ‘B’, Leventis corridor inward Ijora or Marine Beach bridge inward Ijora. They can equally access the Waterways and the rail system into Apapa/Wharf as well as the Gaskia Road towards Ijora by 7up. observed that some of the routes listed by the traffic management authority are in a state of disrepair. For example, the Mile 2-Tincan-Coconut route has not been fixed to allow for a free flow of traffic. The situation has been further compounded by the heavy presence of petroleum tankers and dry cargo trucks, some of which are permanently parked on the road thereby denying other vehicles free access.
Although it was observed that some of the routes listed by the traffic management authority are in a state of disrepair. For example, the Mile 2-Tincan-Coconut route has not been fixed to allow for a free flow of traffic. The situation has been further compounded by the heavy presence of petroleum tankers and dry cargo trucks, some of which are permanently parked on the road thereby denying other vehicles free access.
The Mile 2 – Tin Can road is listed among the projects of the Federal Ministry of Works, Power and Housing budget for 2017, but it remains to be seen how the Federal Government will repair the road this year.
Lagos State has recently announced plans to embark on road rehabilitation after the seasonal rains and listed some roads in Apapa to benefit from the program. These include Liverpool, Crowther Crescent, Maybin road, Central and North Avenue. In other parts of the state, Oba Akran and Lateef Jakande roads, Ikeja; Lekki-Epe road, Ahmadu Bello road, Bonny Camp, all in Victoria Island among others were listed.
Source: Business Day
