There are signs that the 2021 arranged conveyance date for the continuous Reconstruction of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway will be postponed once more.
Following the stoppage of work on the venture after the Federal Government declared a lockdown in the Federal Capital Territory, Lagos and Ogun states to reduce the spread of coronavirus in the nation.
Despite the fact that authorities of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing and one of the two contractual workers taking care of the work, Julius Berger, have continuously been coming back to the task site since Monday, no genuine work has initiated.
The Director, Federal Highways, South-West, FMWH, Adedamola Kuti, told our reporter on Friday that if there was a requirement for expansion because of the effect of the lockdown, the contractor(s) would need to apply for such augmentation.
He stated, “The fact is that the lockdown stopped a lot of activities, even now as we speak, we’ve not fully mobilised because we have a lot of expatriates who are associated with the project and are unable to come back.
“Some of them just went on leave but with this lockdown, they cannot come back. Also, there are some materials that might be required from outside the country.”
Kuti, be that as it may, included, “I am not saying without a doubt now; we will see whatever should be possible. We are still on target and we will perceive what occurs. At the point when we get to the scaffold we will realize how to cross it.
“On the off chance that we find that there will be a requirement for augmentation, the temporary worker will apply for that. Yet, that is just on the off chance that we discover that there is a fitting requirement for it to be expanded.”
Julius Berger is taking care of the 43km Lagos to Sagamu while Reynoid Construction Company assumes responsibility for Sagamu-Ibadan end.
The undertaking, which began in 2013, at first intended to be finished in 2017 however was assessed with extra highlights and another date of 2021 was conceded to.
Julius Berger and authorities of the works service had moved out of site after the Federal Government announced a lockdown in Lagos, Ogun and Abuja around two months back.
It was accumulated in Abuja on Friday that the contractual worker began activating to site on Monday after the Federal Government halfway lifted the lockdown in the influenced states.
Kuti said that development laborers were currently gathered as fundamental specialists, an advancement that made it feasible for them to move back to the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway venture site.
He stated, “We are back to site. We moved back to site on Monday and, of course, as we are moving back, the whole process goes on gradually. The contractor too moved back to site on Monday, read more news here.
“We are on the essential list now after the May 4, 2020 resumption that was announced following the weeks of complete lockdown. So they (government) allowed those in the construction sector to also work.
“So we are back as essential workers now. The contractor resumed work on Monday and the contractor is Julius Berger.”
Asked when work would fully resumed at the project site, the highways director stated that equipment being used for the construction process was currently being serviced on site.
Kuti said, “The contractor has gone back to site and I think they are just moving back to prepare, because with this kind of situation that you left site you will have to service your equipment, clean the machines, among other things.’’
“This is because it is a project that you have left for a while. So you will need to do some machine cleaning, warming and servicing for immediate work. Those are the things that you may be seeing now.
“But of course the equipment is being moved back to the project site and work will definitely commence once these machines are set to deliver.”
Julius Berger had come back to the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in January this year and was taking a shot at its agreement area before the flare-up of COVID-19 and the resulting lockdown that followed.
The PUNCH had revealed in November 2018 that Julius Berger expressed that the Sagamu-Lagos end of the expressway would be finished by 2021.
