Motorists plying the deteriorating Eti-Osa-Lekki-Epe Expressway are expected to face temporary traffic disruptions as the Lagos State Government begins a 35-day rehabilitation of damaged sections from Bonny Camp to Admiralty Way Junction and around Victoria Garden City (VGC) tomorrow.

The government said traffic diversion arrangements would be introduced to minimise congestion and ensure the safety of road users during the exercise.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Infrastructure, Olufemi Daramola, disclosed this yesterday at a stakeholders’ engagement organised by the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure to discuss the scope of work and traffic management plans for the project.

Daramola said the meeting was part of the government’s policy of consulting residents, businesses and other road users before embarking on major infrastructure projects, adding that feedback from stakeholders would inform the implementation process.

He appealed for the cooperation of residents and motorists, particularly as Lagos prepares for increased traffic during the festive season.

The rehabilitation is expected to improve road safety and ease movement along the strategic corridor, which connects residential communities, commercial centres and major industrial investments across the Lekki-Epe axis.

The expressway provides access to the Lekki Free Zone, Dangote Refinery, Dangote Fertiliser Factory, Lekki Deep Sea Port and Eleganza Industrial Estate. It also serves major housing developments and educational institutions, including Pan-Atlantic University and Lagos Business School. However, rapid urbanisation, growing commercial activities and increasing traffic have accelerated the deterioration of some sections, leaving commuters struggling with difficult journeys along the busy route.

Daramola said the government was also addressing drainage concerns along the corridor, adding that the proposed Green Line rail project would form part of a broader plan to improve transportation infrastructure in the area.

The Director of Projects, Ibironke Olukoko, said the rehabilitation would facilitate the movement of passengers and goods while improving access to rapidly developing commercial and residential communities between Victoria Island and Epe.At the meeting, the Chairman of the Victoria Island and Ikoyi Residents Association, Prince Akin Fadoju, called for improved drainage infrastructure to tackle flooding in the area.

Fadoju acknowledged that the drainage problems predated the current administration but stressed the need for urgent and sustained intervention.

Other stakeholders urged the government to ensure that traffic management officials were available throughout the construction period to direct motorists and prevent gridlock. They also called for the maintenance of alternative routes to make them motorable and for adequate security measures to protect road users.

The latest intervention forms part of the state government’s broader efforts to rehabilitate the Eti-Osa-Lekki-Epe Expressway, which has become increasingly important to Lagos’s residential and economic expansion.

The government had earlier awarded the first phase of the rehabilitation and upgrading project, covering 18.75 kilometres from Eleko to Epe T-Junction in Ibeju-Lekki, in November 2020.

The three-lane dual carriageway, built with reinforced concrete pavement and ancillary facilities, was completed and commissioned in February 2023.

Phases IIA and IIB, covering the stretch from Eleko Junction to Abraham Adesanya, were subsequently awarded to extend the improvements along the corridor.

The government also completed rehabilitation works on damaged sections between Admiralty Intersection and Ajah Jubilee Flyover.

According to Daramola, the state has so far reconstructed and rehabilitated 69.44 kilometres of the expressway, comprising 49.7 kilometres of reinforced concrete pavement and 19.76 kilometres of flexible pavement.

In April 2025, the government also awarded the development of early infrastructure for the Green Line mass transit project.

The proposed rail corridor will run from Marina through the Eti-Osa-Lekki-Epe axis towards the proposed Lekki International Airport, connecting Lagos Island with the state’s rapidly developing eastern corridor.

The project is being planned to accommodate emerging infrastructure, including the proposed Fourth Mainland Bridge and the future expansion of Ogombo Road.

For motorists and commuters who depend on the expressway daily, the immediate challenge will be navigating the construction period without severe delays.

The effectiveness of the traffic diversion arrangements, the condition of alternative routes and the timely completion of the 35-day rehabilitation will be crucial to reducing disruption along the corridor.