In 2024, 15 jetties, the OPEBI Link Bridge, and the Lagos Red Line will ease traffic. – OMOTOSO

The notable initiatives that would influence Lagos State’s transport landscape in 2024 have been enumerated by Honourable Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso. He listed the Red Line Rail, the Opebi-Ojota Link Bridge, the completion of 15 Ferry Jetties, and the addition of 12 more ferries to the current fleet in order to facilitate travel within the State.

In an interview with reporters from various media outlets held in his Secretariat office in Alausa today, he shared this opinion.

According to him, the Opebi Link Bridge will divert traffic from the Ikorodu Road and facilitate quicker access to the airport from Ojota.

He mentioned that the Red Line will speed up water transportation by building about 15 more jetties and adding 12 boats to the current 21. The Red Line will also cut the roughly three-hour road trip time from Iddo to Agbado to about 35 minutes. He recalled that the Sanwo-Olu-led government had started with seven ferry boats, which it later raised to 14 and then 21.

Speaking further about the administration’s legacy projects, the Commissioner hinted that the State Government will be focusing on more developmental projects this year, including the Fourth Mainland Bridge, Massey Street Hospital, 500-Bed Mental Hospital and Rehabilitation Centre, Ketu-Ejinrin, the Lekki International Airport, Food and Logistics Hub, Omu Creek project, Coastal Road project, Leather Hub at Mushin, and General Hospitals.

Although acknowledging that the projects were designed to provide employment for the State’s burgeoning population, Omotoso believed the Fourth Mainland Bridge might generate 10,000 jobs and provide aspiring engineers with real-world experience in constructing such massive structures.

When asked to elaborate on the Fourth Mainland Bridge and the Red Line, the Commissioner revealed that a group of financiers and construction businesses had been chosen as the preferred bidder for the Bridge. Physical work is anticipated to start shortly, while the financial obligations are now being worked out. According to him, the Red Line was roughly 90% finished, and the last overdrive in Mushin will shortly be put into service.

When asked what role the State Government had played in the recent leadership transition within the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Lagos State, the Commissioner said that the government would recognise and work with any legitimate leadership within all Associations, as it was solely a Union matter.

Regarding the budget cycle, he reported that the 2023 cycle was finished and had performed at roughly 90% as of November. He was optimistic that the 2024 cycle would be implemented immediately upon its passage and signing into law, positively affecting all of the administration’s developmental pillars.

In response to inquiries about the level of protection, he declared, “The State’s security architecture is top-notch.” The safest state in the union is Lagos State. Those who attempted to circumvent it were apprehended and displayed in a parade. At the most recent security stakeholders conference, the Lagos State Security Trust Fund was reinforced, and more security tactics are being developed and routinely evaluated by agents.