Traders and business owners at the popular Olaiya Junction, Osogbo in Osun State have begun to relocate to other parts of the state capital as the state government commenced construction of a flyover.
Many other residents have resorted to trekking following the blocking of major routes and rerouting of traffic.
A visit to the construction site confirmed that bulldozing, marking demarcation and sealing off of the site had already begun and heavy equipment have been moved to the site.
Meanwhile, traffic at the Gbongan-Ibadan road was kilometres long as both minibuses and motorcyclists had a difficult time negotiating through the many diversions set up by the Ministry of Works and Transport.
Security personnel positioned at strategic locations to control traffic also found it practically impossible to control vehicles while drivers could not manoeuvre through the gridlock.
Speaking with bioreports, a commuter Ade Adeeyo said going to work from his house was easy for him prior to the development but since Thursday when the flyover construction was flagged off, he has decided to start trekking to and from his place of work.
The reason for his decision he revealed was that the alternative routes were now longer and traffic gridlock has increased.
On the issue of traffic gridlock, he said since the flag-off, residents of Osogbo were now faced with a new reality adding that there was now no difference between Osogbo and Lagos.
He revealed that “the fares minibuses, popularly called ‘korope’ charges have increased from the minimum N50 to N100 while fares for commercial motorcycles has doubled from a minimum of N80 to N200 depending on the distance.
“We are not used to this type of stress in Osun especially Osogbo. We are being subjected to an Israelite journey now but the good thing is that this one will last for just nine months.
Most opponents of the project whose views were sought declined to comment because according to them, the construction of a flyover at this time carried some political undertones.
However, one respondent alleged that the project was purposely conceived to garner political favour from the people of Osogbo because the local government has the highest number of electorates in the state.
“To me, it is a project out of place. There are other projects demanding government attention but a blind eye has been turned to them. This is not supposed to be so. Government is supposed to be everywhere and for everybody.”
He wondered how traffic would be controlled when the flyover is in place as opposed to the traffic lights which controlled traffic previously.
Meanwhile, in a bid to ease traffic congestion and maintain the smooth flow of vehicular movements, the state government has released a traffic advisory, which both motorists and motorcyclists passing through Osogbo are expected to comply with.
