Lagos BRT Construction From Oshodi - Abule Egba To Begin Next Week

Lagos to begin Oshodi-Abule Egba BRT construction next week

There are indications that the Lagos State Government will commence
construction work on a dedicated lane for a Bus Rapid Transit
operation on the busy Oshodi -AbuleEgba corridor of the Lagos
-Abeokuta Expressway next week .

Ahead of the construction , the coordinator of the project, the Lagos
Metropolitan Area Transport Authority, has fixed a stakeholders '
meeting for Thursday.

A source at LAMATA told our correspondent on the telephone on Tuesday
that the construction of the 14 - kilometre dedicated BRT lane would
start immediately after the meeting .

A statement signed by the Managing Director, LAMATA, Mr . Abiodun
Dabiri, also said the meeting was called to inform and educate the
stakeholders about the benefits of the project.
It stated , "Due to the huge successes recorded by the BRT system, the
Governor of Lagos State, Mr . Akinwunmi Ambode, as part of his vision
of ensuring public transport accessibility to Lagosians has approved
the construction of the 14 -kilometre Oshodi- Abule Egba BRT , a
median operaion public transportation system,
"The BRT system will on completion improve travel time , reduce
congestion along the corridor, reduce tail pipe emission and
ultimately Green House Gas effect, create employment and restore
family values , among other socio - economic and environmental
benefits . "

The state government had built and implemented a BRT scheme on a
dedicated 22 km lane between CMS and Mile 12 on Ikorodu Road since
2006 and recently extended it by 13 . 5 km to Ikorodu .

LAMATA said in a document prepared on the new project, a copy which
was made available to our correspondent on Tuesday , that the vision
of the state government in extending the BRT scheme to the Oshodi-
Abule Egba corridor was to provide a modern , efficient and reliable
transport service in a conducive and hygienic environment .

It said it was also meant to decongest and enhance the beauty of
Oshodi, the commercial centre in Lagos.

It also stated that 250 buses would be released for the BRT operation
along the corridor.

There would be 20 hours of operation on the route daily , it added.

According to the agency , apart from the construction of a 7 . 3 m
wide dedicated BRT lane between Oshodi and Abule Egba ends of the
Lagos -Abeokuta Expressway, there will be rehabilitation and expansion
of the existing road .

It also stated that there would be construction of concrete side
drains on both sides of the expanded road; BRT stations and terminals;
junction improvement and street lights with intelligent transport
services .

With a promise that travel time within the two points would be reduced
from one hour 30 minutes to 45 minutes , the state government said a
bus would be available at the station at an interval of five minutes .

It is estimated that 15 , 415 passengers would be moved every hour and
308 ,000 people transported along the corridor daily .

LAMATA reckoned that the Oshodi -Abule Egba was arguably the busiest
bus corridor in West Africa , "with over 5 ,600 buses moving commuters
per day. "

"This corridor is highly congested due to high traffic volume of
unregulated, fragmented, uncomfortable , unsafe and largely unreliable
bus services along with indiscriminate picking and dropping of
passengers along the corridor," agency added .