LAGOS CBD RE-OPENS WILLIAMS STREET TO DECONGEST TRAFFIC BETWEEN BROAD STREET & MARINA TODAY.{PHOTOS}.

     The Lagos State Government has re-opened William Street, beside Central Bank of Nigeria Building, to ease traffic flow between Broad Street and Marina as well as enhance security of lives and property along the axis.

Speaking during the clearing of barricade and shanties erected on the street, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Central Business Districts, Mr. Agboola Dabiri, said the State Government has received series of complaints by residents and commuters on the inconveniences and security threat the continued closure of the road had posed to them.

He said the Central Bank of Nigeria had closed the road, which serves as a link between Broad Street and Marina, to traffic over ten years ago during the extension work on CBN Building by Julius Berger PLC and since then had failed to open the road to traffic even after completing the extension work.

According to him, “We receive daily complaints on robbery incidents and the inconveniences the closed road had constituted. The opening of the road will ease traffic flow in the axis. This is similar to what happened in Idumota flyover bridge after it was constructed in 1978, but we have recently renovated and opened it up to ease the traffic flow in that area.”

He said there have been situations whereby fire fighters and police were prevented from getting to emergency scenes on time due to locked street gates and barricades as well as instances where rushing patients with emergency situations to hospital were equally frustrated.

Dabiri said information reaching government was that gates were being locked in several places throughout the day, causing inconvenience to residents having to walk round to get to the main road, and that some gates were deliberately locked or barricaded just to prevent others from using the roads, thereby aggravating traffic situations especially in areas where such roads are meant to serve as thoroughfares or alternative link routes.

He added that most places where gates have been mounted have become environmentally unhygienic, while it had been observed that mechanics have also turned such streets to their workshops.

Dabiri said, “This government is of the opinion that though the erecting and closing of these gates may be desirable, it detests the negative consequences on the overall urban efficiency, aesthetics and functionality of the city, especially on traffic flow.”.More photos below.