The Oyo State Government, on Tuesday, April 30, opened the first phase of Olodo Bridge for pedestrians to ease the burden of road users on the axis, stating that the bridge would be opened for vehicular movements in a few weeks.
This was disclosed by the Special Adviser (Media) to Oyo State Governor, Mr Sulaimon Olanrewaju, in a statement.
The Commissioner for Public Works, Infrastructure and Transport, Professor Dahud Kehinde Shangodoyin, who inspected the project, said that the opening of the bridge for pedestrians demonstrated Governor ‘Seyi Makinde’s commitment to the welfare of the citizens.
He noted that one side of the bridge would be opened for vehicles and pedestrians by the end of May.
It will be recalled that the old Olodo Bridge was washed away by rain on July 23, 2023, thereby causing inconvenience to pedestrians and motorists living in the axis.
Speaking with newsmen while inspecting the progress of the work at the ongoing Olodo Bridge reconstruction project, Shangodoyin said that the opening of the bridge was to keep to the promise by the government to open the first phase of the bridge for pedestrians on April 30, 2024.
He added that one side of the bridge was opened to ease the pressure on road users, reassuring that construction work would continue on the second side and the work would be expedited to facilitate timely completion of the project as scheduled.
He said: “The governor has directed that this bridge should be completed and be used by our people. And, today, I am delighted that we are opening it for pedestrians.
“As you can see, people are already using the road and you can see joy on their faces.
“What is left now is for us to complete the job on this road and open it for vehicular movement. I can promise you that before the end of May, we will open one side of the bridge for vehicular movement and pedestrians.
“This is another promise kept. His Excellency has delivered this project so that pedestrians can use the bridge for now, while motorists will do the same once the approach on the bridge cures within the next two weeks or thereabout.
“This bridge is 40metres in length and 12 metres in breadth, which means that it can accommodate three vehicles at the same time. It has two lanes for vehicles. But we will be managing one side until we complete the second part of the bridge.”
The Commissioner warned residents to be cautious while using the bridge as the contractor will still be working on the second part.
“My message to residents is that they need to be careful, because we are still working on the final part of the bridge.
“We don’t want Okadas and Micras to cross the bridge for now. We want both approaches to cure for 14 days before we allow vehicles to pass on the bridge.”
Some residents of Olodo Bank Area, including Mrs Elizabeth Olalowo, Reverend Moses Adebisi and Mrs Omolola Joshua, thanked Governor Makinde for ameliorating the suffering of road users on the axis.
They expressed relief on the opening of the bridge.
