By Wole Adedeji, Ilorin
The Kwara State government has said that the N2.4 billion flyover project, along Tanke/University of Ilorin Road, in the state capital, will be ready for use next month.
The completion of the project had earlier been promised for this month, but by Wednesday, 14th December, it was about half-way to completion.
However, the state Commisssioner for Works, Engr. Rotimi Iliasu, gave an assurance that come what may, the fly-over project would be completed in January, 2023.
A statement from his ministry stated thay this assurance was given by the commissioner during an on-the-spot assessment visit to the project site on Tuesday.
The seeming slow pace of work on the project had been said to cause untold hardships to residents of Tanke community because of its location as a commercial hub, public transport terminal and the traditional hustling and bustlings centre, along the University of Ilorin community road.
Also affected are commuters and the adjoining communities to Tanke, who for over a year had been groaning over their discomforts over alleged slow pace of work on the project, but are now being promised a relief come next month.
The Commissioner of Works was however quoted to have said that it was observed that the contractor handling the project had redoubled efforts towards meeting the December, 2022 deadline set for the completion of the project, giving “residents of Tanke area to heave a sigh of relief over the pace of work on the flyover designed to ease traffic gridlock on the ever busy Tanke/ Unilorin road.
The statement quoted Iliasu to have pledged, “I can tell Kwarans that the Tanke/Unilorin flyover project will be ready for use by January, by the special grace of God. The contractor has till the end of December to handover the project to the state government. The contractor and his team are working day and night to deliver the project on schedule.”
The commissioner, who expressed satisfaction with the level of job done so far also hailed the contractor for doing a quality job, saying, “We are not doing anything less than the expectations of our people.
“It’s a N2.4 billion project and we are not starving the contractor of funds. The contract money has been lodged and we pay as work progresses. People will drive on the flyover by January. The state governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, is a good manager of resources. So, when we embark on any project, the money for the entire project is lodged and we release funds to contractors as work progresses.”
The commissioner said upon completion, it would ease vehicular movements as well as business activities along the route and improve the economic activities of the area and the beauty of Ilorin, promising that the bridge would also help greatly in easing traffic gridlock in Tanke and its environs for the next 30 years.
