President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Sunday inaugurated the newly reconstructed Apapa-Oworonshoki-Ojota-Oshodi Expressway, a 36.02km expressway connecting Nigeria’s premier ports – Apapa and Tin Can Island – to larger parts of Lagos state.
The President, who performed the symbolic unveiling of the plaque of the concrete-paved road at the Gbagada stretch, also virtually inaugurated the recently rehabilitated Third Mainland Bridge.
Speaking at the inauguration of the projects, executed by the Federal Ministry of Works, the President, represented by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, said the Apapa-Oworonshoki-Ojota Expressway would enhance access to the ports, boost commercial activities, and spur economic development.
Originally constructed between 1975 and 1978, the road had deteriorated significantly over the years, causing severe delays in the evacuation of goods from Apapa Wharf.
The reconstruction of the road was executed in four sections, using Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement (CRCP), by Dangote Industries Limited under the tax credit method of infrastructure funding, with Hitech Construction Nigeria Limited as the subcontractor.
The rehabilitated Third Mainland Bridge, the longest of three bridges connecting Lagos Island to the mainland, spans about 11.8km.
It was commissioned by President Shehu Shagari in 1980 and completed by General Ibrahim Babangida in 1990.
The bridge recently underwent significant rehabilitation to improve its structural integrity and extend its lifespan.
”This is a great feat by any standards, and it is all for Nigeria. I congratulate the Ministry of Works and the contractors for the great work.
”It is not only in Lagos that these good things are happening. From the Presidential Villa in Asokoro to the AYA Roundabout in the capital city (Abuja), you will notice a great deal of work and some of these projects will be commissioned this week,” he said.
The Minister of Works, David Umahi explained the use of concrete technology in constructing the road, noting its durability, as well as the rising cost of bitumen used in making asphalt.
‘‘We want our contractors to migrate to the use of concrete technology for road construction,’’ the minister said, while describing the inauguration of the road as another plus on the utility of tax credits in the country.
On the Third Mainland Bridge, the minister stated that the project went beyond mere rehabilitation.
”We had to replace all the expansion joints, and we also noticed that over the years all the maintenance on the bridge was only for the surface and that created a lot of super elevation, pot holes, and increased the dead load on the bridge resulting in increased deflection,” he said.
In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Works, Dr Yakubu Kofarmata, said the president had directed the ministry to complete Abuja-Kano road within one year.
