The Federal Government on Friday ordered a temporary suspension of construction works on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway to ease the travel experience of tourists returning to their destinations after the festive season.

He Nigerian News Agency reports that Julius Berger returned to the site on Tuesday after leaving in December 2022, to continue construction work between the popular Long Bridge and the Kara bus stop on the Lagos-bound causeway.

On Thursday, the return of contractors to the site and the resulting traffic jam in the area prompted complaints from passengers on the road. This prompted the Federal Comptroller of Works in Lagos State, Mr. Umar Bakare, to suspend work and oversee the removal of the guardrails on the road in Kara Section on Friday.

Bakare told reporters after reopening Section One of the highway to traffic that the move was to give those returning from the end-of-year holidays a better driving experience.

He said contractors were able to carry out quick repairs until the early hours of Friday before removing the security barriers in anticipation of the big return trip of tourists over the weekend.

The controller said the contractors would return to the site on Monday 9 January to continue work and complete the work between Kara and Long Bridge within 20 days.

He said temporary repairs were made to some sections in December, and contractors were able to further improve the work on their short return in January.

“We understand and realize that there are still many people who are still returning from their various trips.

“In this sense, we have asked the contractor, after completing that section (Kara), to hold on and remove the barriers to return next week when we return to complete the other section between Long Bridge and Kara until the final layer. Bakare said.

The Comptroller said that the government would make announcements, take the public and always make them aware of the progress of the work.

He called for the patience of road users around construction zones, noting that the government has always been concerned about their well-being and the need for them to have good driving experiences.

Bakare said the government schedule to complete the entire project by March 2023 was still on track.

Section One of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway project runs from Ojota in Lagos State to the Sagamu Interchange.

YAYA