Ambode declares second Lekki-Epe Expressway toll-free

[FlyJ]

 

The Governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode, has assured residents that tolls will not be collected at the second toll point on the Lekki- Epe Expressway.

 

Ambode made the remark at an interactive session with journalists at the Banquet Hall of the Lagos House, Ikeja, a statement said on Sunday.

 

The governor, in the statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Habib Aruna, said his concern was ensuring the completion of the road.

 

He said, “We must start thinking of the future concerning that road. We said we will have an International Airport in Epe, and an Export Processing Zone in Lekki and a Deep Seaport also in Lekki.

 

“Should we not start thinking about how we will improve and create a 10-lane road between Ikorodu, Itoikin, Epe and Ijebu Ode so that people can go out from there? There is no point constructing the road, paying tolls and in five years’ time, the road is gone.”

 

The governor said once the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, which was being expanded into 10-lane, was completed, the community would be opened up for business activities.

 

He added that his administration would make careful efforts to grow the tourism potential of the state.

 

He said, “As more means of transportation come on board, the more than 600,000 private car owners and 120,000 motorcycles that are being put on the road in the state on a daily basis will reduce in number.”

 

He said his administration had decided to scale up governance by rearranging the civil service through the realignment of some ministries and agencies, while creating a new Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment.

 

Ambode said, “We have said this is a government of continuity, but it is continuity with improvement. It is about making life easier for the people. We are receptive to new ideas and that is why we are going to be creative, innovative and thinking out of the box.”

 

Source

[Calllaris]

 

Paying at the first toll point isn't justified either. The toll gates just seems like a matter of concession to private individuals, purely for commercial exploitation and profit.

 

There should really be no toll gates. There was no basis for a toll road and 30 year concession arrangement for a mere rehabilitation and expansion of an existing road which the government could afford on its own.

 

The Lekki-Epe express road was initially constructed by the Jakande administration and completed by the Mudashiru and Mike Akhigbe military administrations in 1987.

 

Yes, Tinubu's administration realising the urgent need to address the fast growing problem of road congestion conceived the idea of the expansion of the existing express road into a six-lane roadway, the construction of an alternate coastal road that will run from Ahmadu Bello way by Bar Beach, along the shores of the Atlantic ocean towards Ibeju-Lekki Local Government area. And a third part of the construction of a fourth mainland bridge, from Langbasa area near Ajah across the Lagos Lagoon to Ikorodu town and detouring somewhere to join the existing third mainland bridge thereby forming a circular road around Lagos.

 

However the project was later jettisoned and in its place; the rehabilitation of the existing Lekki expressway was adopted by the consortium: LCC/ ARM

 

Suddenly the people's road became a private road with toll gates.

 

LCC as a private company owned by a former governor in Lagos state makes over 18 million naira daily from just one toll gate, still there are no alternative routes for people who don't wish to use the toll gate so the people are taxed after tax?