In April, 2021 the Osun State Government led by Governor Gboyega Oyetola commenced a project estimated to be 2.7 Billion Naira in the state capital.
It was a flyover bridge situated at Olaiya Area. It was promised to be delivered 8 months later – December, 2021.
The object was said to curb the transportation problems within and around the Capital City of Oshogbo, as the flyover bridge, which would do the intersections of automobiles, thus facilitate uninterrupted traffic.
There were understandably risings of eyebrows both negatively and positively. There were so many backlashes too.
The State Commissioner of Works and Transport, Engineer Oluremi Omowaiye had assured the people of osun state that it’ll be completed by December.
He would later retraced his steps and quoted saying, “Olaiya Flyover will be promptly delivered, but esthetics may delayed it beyond December.” in an interview he granted on November 9, 2021.
Speaking with newsmen in his office on the said day, Engineer Omowaiye said aside from not compromise standards which is the key goal, the bridge may however be delayed by additional esthetics and modifications beyond December.
“There are going to be a lot of them at the corridor and this may drag the finish of the project beyond December. But all the civil works will be completed at the said time. We just want to introduce additional features.
“I want to assure that the flyover is going to have a lot of esthetics. There are going to be a lot of them at the corridor and this may drag the finish of the project to December. But all the civil works will be completed at the said time. We just want to introduce additional features.
“All in all, I can assure you that by the end of year, the flyover will be ready for vehicular movement.”
A cross-sectional survey research based on convenience sampling was conducted on the ongoing Olaiya Flyover using nearly one hundred and twenty shop-owners and blue-bus drivers (Korope) operating in the close vicinity of flyovers were administered with questionnaires and interviewed.
It is gathered that during construction phase, 10 (87.5%) of the respondent faced problems in their business because no hassle-free and proper alternates were provided to the road users, 102 (85%) noticed that sales or revenue has badly decreased for the shop-owners, 95 (79.1%) thought that crimes has increased due to consistent traffic jam most especially at night, 98 (86.1%) were in view that the problem of traffic jam still persist in the vicinity despite alternatives provided to meet the requirement of free flow of traffic particularly in rush hours.
Also, One-hundred and five participants (87.5%) replied that the situation around the construction site had increased the noise and air pollution in Olaiya and its environs. 98 (86.1%) respondents answered that there are other problems like lack of parking and inadequate traffic control personnel has created undue human and vehicular traffic to the construction of flyovers because the space of the service roads have been reduced.
It is believed that the presence of flyover will be able to meet the demand of free traffic flow, hence, unspool the traffic issues.
Hence, it is therefore concluded that the Olaiya flyover when completed will not only be helpful to meet the demand in rush hours of the day but offers the Capital City of Osogbo an aesthetic ambience. Public health and transportation professionals in the State need to work in concert with construction personnels to ensuring that roads are safe and easy for movement and travelling upon completion.
The flyover bridge’s advantages are analyzed to be road network extensions; professionally engaging our indigenous engineers and other site workers; sustaining mini-economies and macro-economies around the sites and within Osogbo Metropolis; modernization of road network of Greater Oshogbo City; high reliability of road usage; frame buffering to road usage codes; and protocol transparency by traffic compliance officers.
If scrutinized, these are indeed signs of a good and insightful governance provided by Gov. Gboyega Oyetola-led administration which is visible in other areas.
By Araoye Femi Isaac
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