Stakeholders seek traffic management plan for Apapa/Wharf Road

Stakeholders seek traffic management plan for Apapa/Wharf Road

* Reconstruction to take off July 7

By Victor Gbonegun

  To forestall total collapse of business activities in Apapa as the

reconstruction works on the road begins July 7, stakeholders have

resolved that a meeting should be convened between traffic regulatory

agencies, Law enforcement agencies and the Lagos State Traffic

Management Authority (LASTMA), on July 3 to fashion out a traffic

management/diversion plan for the project.

  Rising from a meeting held at the Federal Ministry of Power, Works

and Housing complex in Lagos, they agreed that the  Federal Ministry

of Power, Works and Housing and the NPA should collaborate to repair

all bad portion of the diversion routes, including Tin Can Island

Road, Creek Road and Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, which will experience

heavy traffic.

  Presenting a communiqué at the end of the meeting, the Federal

Controller, Works, Lagos Godwin Eke and a Consultant of AG Dangote

Construction Company Limited, Mr. Kayode Opeifa, said: “We have all

resolve to ensure that parked trucks be removed from Apapa Wharf Road

for construction works to commence in phases on July 7; it will never

be a total closure of all the roads, but only on sections of the road

where work will be done”.

“That all stakeholders will corporate with any changes in time line of

traffic management which will be communicated to all parties by both

the NPA and the contractor through LASTMA, for effective traffic

diversions during the period. The stakeholders also resolved that

traffic management agencies would come up with a periodic traffic

management plan backed by security provided by the security agencies”,

they stated.

Those in attendance at the meeting  include;  representatives of the

Fuel distributor logistics, representatives of traffic regulatory and

management agencies, transport unions, Petroleum Products  Unions,

Port Terminal Operators and the Nigerian Port Authority,

telecommunication service providers, Apapa local authority,

representative of federal ministry of power, work and housing, AG

Dangote construction Company Ltd who will handle the reconstruction.

  According to the communiqué, the sole administrator of Apapa Local

Government, Mr. Luqman Alao would work with all traffic management

agencies, security agencies and the NPA to coordinate activities

between them and the military. Similar meeting has also been held with

utility and service providers in Apapa for clear understanding on

management of cables.

  The Federal Government through the Ministry of Power, Works and

Housing on June 17, 2017 signed a N4.34Billion Memorandum of

Understanding (MoU) for the revamp of the Apapa/Wharf Road with the

stakeholders. The Project is funded by AG. Dangote Construction

Company Limited, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and Flour Mill of

Nigeria.

The reconstruction work which is a concrete design is expected to be

delivered within One year.