Circular Road, Ibadan
Ibadan Circular Road is a by-pass for travelers, goods and freight commuting through Ibadan along the busy Lagos – Ibadan Expressway (E-1), linking the highway (A-1) to Oyo, Ogbomosho, Ilorin, for example. It’s a 110km highway, geographically situated within the Ibadan metropolis, with links to Egbeda, Ona-Ara, Lagelu, Akinyele, Ido and Oluyole Local Government Areas.
Reflagging of the long awaited project in September 2022, the Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, says his administration is giving new life to the road. Commending the administration of Abiola Ajimobi “for at least seeing the benefits of building this road,” Makinde assures the people of Oyo State that when the project is completed, it will solve the problem of traffic congestion in Ibadan and improve the economic wellbeing of the people. The governor is confident that the first phase 32km East-End Wing of the project will be complemented this year.
The 110km road is segmented into four sections:
a) South – East: 32.2km
b) North – East: 20.8km
c) North – West: 33.0km
d) South – West: 24.0km
To demonstrate its commitment to delivering the road to the people, the Oyo State Government re-awarded the two interchanges and Four bridges work-scope within the South – East segment, referred to as phase 1 to Craneburg Ltd for the sum of 35.97 billion Naira. It’s one of the biggest road projects in West Africa.
The construction of the highway was initiated by Senator Rasheed Ladoja, governor of Oyo State from 2003 – 2007. According to Makinde, the design and compensation to land owners was paid by Ladoja. The governor says Ladoja saw the future and acted. For his contribution to the project, Makinde at the reflag off ceremony renamed the road the “Rasheed Ladoja Circular Road.
The main objective of the project is to ease traffic flow in Ibadan and open up new corridors for economic activities. The project holds up to the definition of Ibadan as a circular city.
Note that a circular road is a road that goes around the edge of a town so that traffic does not have to go through the town center. The Rasheed Ladoja Circular Road is an Outer Ring Road, an expansion of the Inner Ring Road concept built in the late 70s, which has not completely gone around the edge of Ibadan.
Picture: Oyo State Commissioner for Public Works and Transport, Prof Daud Sangodoyin taking Edmund Obilo and his team around the project sites. The Special Adviser on Public Works and Transport to the governor, Engr Seyi Adeleye was also on ground.
Photos from Circular Road, Ibadan
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