FRSC deploys 200 personnel to Apapa to ease gridlocks – Oyeyemi

Dr Boboye Oyeyemi, the Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) on Wednesday said about 200 personnel were deployed to Apapa to ease gridlocks caused by articulated vehicles in the area.

Boboye said during the on-the-spot inpections at the ongoing construction of Apapa Wharf road in Lagos that government was working tirelessly to put the road in the good condition before the end of 2017.

According to him, the contract has been awarded already and the contractor has moved to the site to make palliative measures to ease traffic in the area.

He said that the Federal Government awarded the contract but palliative measures were being taken to open the drains and fill up some flooded areas to ease movement.

”This development will ease vehicular movement from the Marine bridge to Nigeria Port Authority (NPA) which is about 13 Kilometers.

“The contractor is working but we need to really ensure the traffic is moving, we have worked it out with the commanding officers here to deploy about 200 personnel to ensure the traffic is moving in Apapa.

Oyeyemi said that the effort was about proper traffic management, adding that privately owned cranes were on standby as well as the FRSC’s trucks in case of any broken down vehicle.

He advised the road users to bear with the government as well as appreciate government’s efforts in the major rehabilitation of the road to ease movement from the ports.

The FRSC boss said that the road would be ready before the end of the year and appealed to road users to obey traffic rules and instructions of the personnel on the road.

Mr Abiodun Gbadamosi, the General Manager, Western Ports Apapa said while addressing the FRSC team in his office that the agency was passionate to find lasting solutions to Apapa gridlocks.

“There is need for synergy among the government agencies to find a lasting solutions to gridlocks in the Apapa area.

“The construction of Wharf road has started, we on the part of NPA will be making some operational adjustment and along the line, traffic management will be very important.

”In this regards, FRSC will be important to ensure free flow of traffic,” he said.

Gbadamosi said that about six holding bay would soon be created in Apapa for the trucks and articulated vehicles to park before loading to ease gridlock.

Meanwhile, Mr Hyginus Omeje, the Lagos State Sector Commander of the FRSC has warned against gridlocks caused by trucks and articulated vehicles on bridges of Lagos, saying it was dangerous and had damaging effects.

Omeje made the remark in Lagos against the backdrop of the recurring gridlock on the Apapa road bridge which caused traffic to the tank farms in the area.

“We are sitting on a keg of gun powder because the bridges are weakening on a daily basis as tankers, trucks and other articulated vehicles are parked on them due to traffic congestion.

He said that it was not good for the vehicles to be stationary for a long time on the bridge as the situation could cause damage or collapse the bridge.

“The Ijora, Eko, Carter and Third Mainland bridges are expensive projects that require huge capital to execute.

“So, it is urgent that we do whatever we need to do, to preserve these bridges, so as to make them last longer,’’ he said.