The Lagos State Government, on Sunday, opened the T-shaped Oyingbo Overpass Bridge to traffic, another ancillary infrastructure of the Lagos Rail Mass Transit (LRMT) Red Line.
Governor Biodun Oyebanji of Ekiti State, on invitation of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, inaugurated the project undertaken by the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA).
The inauguration of Oyingbo Flyover came three days after Yaba Flyover – another key Red Line infrastructure – was inaugurated by Mr Sanwo-Olu.
Speaking during the ceremony, Mr Sanwo-Olu said the Oyingbo Overpass Bridge was to ensure the safety of lives and uninterrupted flow of vehicular traffic at level crossings along the Red Line Rail.
He said the 7.7-metre bridge was the second of the four that had been delivered to ensure the safety of lives and ease of vehicular traffic at the Red Line.
The Oyingbo Flyover serves as a major transit link between Lagos Island and the Mainland, ascending from Murtala Mohammed Way in Ebute Metta and dropping traffic into two separate arterial roads – Iddo and Costain.
According to him, the project solves vehicular congestion and delays, which hamper free movement in the vicinity.
He said the overpass would also eliminate pedestrian and vehicular interference on the rail tracks, significantly reducing the risk of accidents and collisions between trains and vehicles.
The governor said the investment would not only enhance the uninterrupted flow of vehicular traffic at level crossings along the Red Line corridor, but the infrastructure would also improve commerce and the quality of the residents.
”Today, we are opening another Overpass Bridge constructed to ensure the safety of lives and uninterrupted flow of vehicular traffic at level crossings along the Red Line.
”This key project, which is the second of the five bridges undertaken by the Lagos State Government along the rail corridor, has been delivered in Oyingbo, famous for being a thriving centre of commerce.
”The siting of this infrastructure in this area is strategic and intentional to achieve a seamless integrated intermodal transport system for the people.
”Oyingbo Flyover is an important bridge connecting Oyingbo Station of the Lagos Red Line to the Oyingbo Bus Station. The infrastructure has also opened new connectivity for motorists and commuters going to the Island from the Mainland,” he said.
Mr Sanwo-Olu said the opening of Oyingbo Bridge came at the right time in view of the announced maintenance work on Third Mainland Bridge, which prompted the closure of Ebute Metta sections, serving as passageways for motorists going to Lagos Island.
He said the Oyingbo Flyover would now provide alternative routes to access Lagos Island.
The governor warned against misuse of the infrastructure, as the state government would not tolerate illegal activities, including trading, under the bridge.
He said the contract for the bridge had not only harnessed the local engineering expertise, but the infrastructure had also enabled skill transfer and developed local engineering solutions.
Also speaking, Mr Oyebanji said that Lagos had become a model for transformative leadership, progressive reforms and good governance.
”The commissioning of this massive infrastructure project speaks to what is possible when you have a thinking leadership and a government that works with a vision at the helm.
”Ekiti State has a lot to learn from Lagos in terms of creating a practicable development vision that will be passed on to successive administrations,” he said.
The Commissioner for Transportation, Oluwaseun Osiyemi, said the flyover further attested to
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