In response to the recent collapse of the Olodo Bank Bridge in Ibadan, the Oyo State Government has opened an alternative route for road users in the area.
The Commissioner for Works, Public Infrastructure and Transport, Professor Daud Kehinde Shangodoyin, visited the 2.5 kilometer Oki Junction-Olodo Bank Road, which has been fixed as a temporary solution. He assured the public that the collapsed bridge would be repaired within six months.
Accompanied by the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Prince Dotun Oyelade, and an engineer from Peculiar Ultimate Concerns, the contractors handling the Ibadan-Iwo-Osogbo Road, Shangodoyin emphasized the importance of managing the alternative route to avoid causing inconvenience to other road users. He also announced that another route from Oki through Kumapayi to Olodo, spanning 3.8 kilometers, would be fixed as an additional alternative.
Shangodoyin explained that the decision to provide an alternative route was made due to the inability of the Olodo bridge to withstand heavy rainfall. Originally planned as a box culvert, it was now being redesigned as a bridge, which would require more time to complete. The government has taken proactive measures to ease the hardship faced by commuters by repairing an old and abandoned road, including a 4-meter wide bridge constructed during the Western region.
Governor Seyi Makinde instructed the Ministry to ensure swift action on the project. Shangodoyin expressed gratitude for the governor’s directive and confirmed that work on the collapsed Olodo Bridge would commence in a few days. The piling of the bridge is scheduled to begin next Wednesday and is expected to take six months to complete due to technical complexities. However, efforts will be made to open the road temporarily before the entire 35.7 kilometer road project, from Iwo Road Interchange to Odo-Oba to Osogbo, is finished.
