Lagos in hot pro-growth chase with raft of projects

 BY OLIVIA NNOROM

• Nigeria’s commercial hub boldly opening economy
• Road, rail projects seek to redefine mass transportation
• But immediate stress remains

Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital with an Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of N753 billion as of 2021, has turned into a massive construction site as the state government works tirelessly to further open up every nook and cranny of the state for ease of business and economic activities.

From the highbrow Island to the Mainland, from the ultra-urban to the rural, from Epe to Ikorodu to Badagry and to the ends of Lagos, narrow roads are being expanded and reconstructed, hitherto unpaved roads are getting paved, bridges and flyovers are springing up. All of these projects are not only reshaping the Lagos landscape and redefining mass transportation in Lagos but are also further repositioning the state that would be Africa’s fourth largest economy in terms of GDP size were it to be a country.

Economic and development experts reckon that efficient transportation infrastructures are the highways to economic growth in today’s globally integrated economy. They say that crucial physical infrastructure that promotes the movement of people, goods and services leads to the development of a pro-growth economic environment where people transact business efficiently, speedily, safely and with ease.

“Infrastructural development plays a pivotal role in enhancing economic growth, improving living standards, reducing poverty and contributing to environmental sustainability,” Muhammed Usman, a professor at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, said last year at a virtual meeting organised by TETFund’s Research and Development Standing Committee (RDSC).

However, the ongoing projects are putting Lagos residents under immense pressure as gridlock has worsened in many parts of the mega city.

Lagos is easily Nigeria’s most populous city with an estimated 28 million population and an annual influx of about 1.1 million people. The state is home to Nigeria’s two busiest ports, Apapa and Tin-Can Island, that handle over 70 percent of the country’s import cargoes. However, incessant, almost intractable traffic jam in most parts of the state stalls easy movement of people, goods and services and poses a threat to Lagos’ target of $100 billion GDP by 2052.

Babajide Sanwo-Olu, upon taking over the reins as governor of Lagos State in 2019, promised to redouble his work rate in the quest to deliver a robust integrated transit system aimed at solving the perennial gridlock bedevilling Lagos.

Business A.M. checks show that indeed, Governor Sanwo-Olu, is walking his talk of improving road infrastructure in Lagos, bearing in mind the criticality of good roads to movement of persons, goods and services.

Our checks in parts of Lagos highlighted some of the prominent ongoing construction work to include the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, which has progressed up to Agbara (LOT 2B & 2C), the Iyana Iba Interchange and Flyover Bridges along the expressway, and the Alakija Interchange Bridge linking the Lagos-Badagry to Festac Town through 2nd Avenue/7th Avenue.

When the idea of reconstructing and expanding the Lagos-Badagry Expressway into a 10-lane expressway with a rail track and BRT lanes was conceived under the Babatunde Fashola administration, it was projected to transform the face of Lagos, unlock the gridlock on the expressway that is prone to heavy traffic flow, and open up opportunities for greater investments and regional trade between Nigeria and its neighbours on the West Coast of Africa. Apart from its strategic economic importance as the gateway to Nigeria’s West Coast neighbours of Benin Republic, Togo, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, etc, the Lagos-Badagry Expressway is also home to the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex which currently harbours a number of big markets, the Lagos State University, the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria, Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, the Nigerian French Language Village, the proposed Badagry Deep Seaport, among others, and also provides access to Alaba International Market, reckoned as the largest electronics market in West Africa.

However, the project had progressed at a very slow pace until the Sanwo-Olu administration injected fresh blood into it.

In August 2022, Sanwo-Olu flagged off the last track beam (T-beam) on the 27km Lagos Blue Line Rail Mass Transit billed for completion this December with passenger movement projected to start within the first quarter of 2023. The first phase of the Blue Line traverses Mile 2 to Marina while the second phase extends the rail project from Mile 2 to Okokomaiko, with stations to be built at Festac, Alakija, Trade Fair, Volkswagen, LASU and Okokomaiko. The government said it is in talks with the Ogun State government for possible extension of the rail line to Agbara.

The 3.89km-long Ojota-Opebi Link Bridge is another major project. At the flag-off of the construction of the link bridge as well as approach roads in January 2022, Sanwo-Olu said the project was an innovative solution to the perennial gridlock around Opebi/Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way/Ojota/Mende corridor. It is expected to open into Ojota axis in Kosofe, taking traffic from Opebi U-turn and dropping it at Ikorodu Road via an intersection that will be constructed under Odo Iya Alaro Bridge at Mende.

“We recognised the need to create a permanent solution to the conflicts by initiating another legacy construction project linking Ojota, Opebi and approach roads to connect Opebi Road from its tail end with Ikorodu Road by Odo Iya Alaro,” Sanwo-Olu said.

“Upon completion, the carriageway will reduce travel time for Lagos and Ikorodu-bound traffic from Opebi. It will also ease the traffic situation at Opebi-Sheraton Link Road and Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way. This legacy project will not only provide a new link to commute around Ikeja and its environs, it will also enhance economic prosperity and life expectancy,” he said.

The Alaba Interchange Bridge linking the Orile axis of Lagos-Badagry Expressway to 2nd Rainbow on Apapa-Oshodi Expressway into Festac Town/Ago Palace Way through Amuwo-Odofin is another massive project that will, no doubt, have a huge positive impact on travel time as well as economic activities. It is projected to reduce pressure on Mile 2, one of Lagos’ biggest hubs, as it diverts traffic from that axis.

Other prominent projects are the 1.4km flyover and dual carriageway Pen-Cinema Bridge in Agege, the link road/bridge from Opebi-Mende-Ogudu to Third Mainland Bridge at Oworonsoki (phase 1), expansion of Ikotun-Egbe Bridge, extension of Iyana Ipaja Bridge, Iyana Era Bridge in Ojo, Oba Sekumade Road (bridge deck on pile L= 0.03km) with 2.5km road length, construction of 60m length and 22m width dual carriageway bridge along Old Ota Road with a length of 6.264Km, Ogudu Alapere Link Bridge, Kosofe, a 0.023km-long bridge that crosses the outfall from China Town in Alapere to Ogudu Road and 3rdAxial Expressway, Lagos-Ogun Boundary (LOB) Bridge and roads in Alimosho; Agbado-Oke-Odo access roads, among others.

Business A.M. also obtained an official list of projects by the Sanwo-Olu administration which shows that the administration has completed and commissioned over 300 road projects between 2019 and October 2022, carried out 110 palliatives and 361 sectional rehabilitations on roads across the state, reconfigured six junctions/roundabouts (Allen, Ikotun, Maryland, Lekki I & II, and Ajah) under the government’s Traffic Management Intervention Plan (TMIP), while 650 inner roads have been rehabilitated by the Lagos State Public Works Corporation (LSPWC).

Among completed and ongoing projects listed include 34 roads at Kosofe, Somolu, Victoria Island and Ikoyi; three network of roads at Oniru, Victoria Island (Adeola Hopewell, Idowu Taylor and Afribank/Church Gate Streets); Ikoyi network of roads (Mac Donald/Lateef Jakande Roads, Milverton Road and Thompson Avenue in Ikoyi, Eti Osa LGA); 31 network of roads in Ojokoro Local Council Development Area (LCDA); Ijede Road Phase 1 in Ikorodu;  Tedi-Muwo Link Bridge; and 13.68km Oshodi-Abule-Egba BRT corridor.

Others are Agric-Ishawo-Konu-Arepo Road linking Lagos-Ibadan Expressway; Ibeju Lekki-Eti-Osa Regional/Lagoon Road (phase 1); Ijagemo, Ijegun-Ijeododo Road in Alimosho; Aka/Kemberi Road; Old Ojo Road in Ojo; Shasha Link Bridge (Part of Union Road/Shomorin)/Mortune Avenue/Adama Dania/Mohammed/Behind Airport Roads); 3.40km Isuti Road, a dual carriageway with an average width of 14.6m that connects Igando-Egan road to the Isuti Jetty to enhance intermodal transportation system; Ishefun-Camp Davies-Ijon Road Network, Badagry, a 7.4km-long dual carriageway with an average width of 16.5m.

The government is also looking at ways of maximising the potential of Lagos in inter-modal transportation. In this regard, the Sanwo-Olu administration, apart from the Lagos Blue Line Rail, also flagged off the 37km Oyingbo-Agbado Lagos Red Line Rail Mass track sharing with the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), which ground-breaking took place in April 2021, and acquired new trains for the project.

For ease of commuting, the government has commissioned four bus terminals (Mafoluku, Yaba, Oyingbo and Ajah), completed 78 bus shelters/bus depots with 22 ongoing, deployed traffic lights and CCTV cameras in strategic places in the state, delivered 14 new BRT stations, launched 500 units of First and Last Mile (FLM) buses as alternative means of transportation in addressing the security threat constituted by commercial motorcycles, launched LagRide with 1,000 units of Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs), and injected 560 high-medium capacity buses for standard routes.

The government has also constructed or is constructing jetties in Apa, VIP Chalet, Isalu, Ajido (all in Badagry), Ito Omu Epe, Offin, Ikorodu, Takwa Bay (Eti Osa), Ijede Waterfront, Ikorodu, Marina Waterfront, Oke-Ira Nla (Eti-Osa), Liverpool (Apapa), Ebute-Ero (Lagos Island), Mile 2, Ijegun-Egba, Ilado and Ilashe (Amuwo-Odofin).