Infrastructure: Lagos to complete 50% of ongoing projects by year-end

Lagos State government has said it will, by the end of this year, deliver 50 percent of the 225 ongoing roads and other projects in the state, disclosing that it has, in the past 24 months, delivered 82 roads and 42 projects in 13 local governments.

Within the period, the state has constructed 16 roads in Alimosho Local Government, 12 in Eti-osa, 10 in Mushin, nine in Surulere, among others, and has numerous other road projects ongoing.

Femi Hamzat, the state commissioner for works and infrastructure, who disclosed this at a briefing to review the activities of his ministry recently, said within this period, his ministry also created 49,000 direct jobs at various levels.

Hamzat said the need to focus on raising the quality and speed of road project implementation and delivery within the state had been orchestrated by a further need to address the challenge of expected growth in demand trips in Lagos metropolitan, from the current 12 million daily to 18 million by 2020.

The commissioner listed other facilities the state had delivered to include security lighting, which is a major tool for improving aesthetic conditions of communities and illumination for motorists and pedestrians at night, saying the state had also awarded contracts for nine pedestrian bridges to be constructed along major expressways.

He said key strategies had been adopted to fast track the delivery of road projects within the state, including private sector involvement through concessions of high capacity projects; front loading and monitoring of projects, adding that improved user-friendly and innovative road designs and construction methods have all been effective in delivering the desired results for the state.

In accordance with the state’s determination to promote inter-modal transportation system, he maintained that the ministry had resolved to provide the essential infrastructure for the take off, hence the completion of Ipadako jetty, and construction of Osborne and Badore jetties.

He, however, noted that despite the determination of the state to ensure effective management and maintenance of its assets so they could continue to support the delivery of a wide range of government services, the state had continuously faced attitudinal challenges.

“The indiscriminate dumping of waste on roads and drainages, vandalism of road infrastructure and public utilities plus lack of maintenance culture are part of our major challenges and we cannot continue to build new structures; we have to learn to maintain the ones we have on ground,” he said.

Other challenges, he said, include the quantum of fund portfolio to prosecute projects, disparity in topography, which makes numerous soil tests have to be carried out before most projects are embarked upon with their cost implications

ODINAKA MBONU