The rehabilitation of the Mushin-Isolo Road has stopped, barely two weeks after it began.
Residents and traders have called on Governor Akinwummi Ambode to ensure that the job is not abandoned because of the dire consequences.
The road, they said, would become worse if the repair is not completed.
A trader, Mrs Segun Bolatito, noted that sales increased when the work started.
She said: “We are thankful to the Ambode administration for remembering us because we have really suffered for over five years. It is glaring that the government listens to the people because the work began after The Nation reporters came to ask us questions and took pictures of the road.
“It’s been two weeks since the work started and since then vehicles have been running at very high speed, I think it’s because they are excited but at the same time it is troubling because school students are at risk. We hope it is reduced so we don’t have a situation where a vehicle knocks a student down.”
Mr Ademola Kolawole, a truck driver, said: “The road has been convenient for both commuters and transporters. It has been easy for my customers to call anytime they have jobs for me, they can come directly to the park since the road is better than it used to be. We want it to be fully tarred, that way the road can last long else lorries and trucks would make it worse.”
Mrs Bukola Afod, a trader, described the road repair as good, saying: “We have gone through a lot of distress because of the bad road, especially during the rainy season, it is very hard for us to carry our goods into the market using motorcycles because the road is too bad for motorcycles to go through the market instead we use buses and end up spending more, I hope the construction can continue because I have not seen them for over a week now.’’
A resident, who simply gave his name as Ademola, said: “They (contractor) are very hardworking and have achieved a lot within a week and we are quite impressed but we are not pleased with them stopping the work.”
Ademola suggested that the repair be extended to other parts of the road and not just beneath the bridge.
“I know that the portion repaired has the major potholes but what remains is for it to be extended to other parts of the area, that way we would all be very grateful because we will no longer be scared of tankers exploding as a result of collapse nor would traffic be disturbing us every now and then; also flood and the breakdown of vehicles would be a thing of the past,” he said.
A motorcyclist, who did not give his name, said he is not pleased with the condition of the road.
He said: “They are just concentrating on one side of the road when the main place has not been fixed, there are potholes everywhere. The gravel filling was done three weeks ago but now the rain has covered it. If the contractors can extend their work to the other side of the road then we will have no problem. The ordinary granite filling also is not good for the tyres, I want them to tar the road completely, they should try and make it smooth so our tires won’t have to get spoilt before the due time and our pockets get to suffer for it.”
Mrs Chioma Ikechukwu, a resident, said she is not happy with the work, adding: “I am not happy with the way the construction is one-sided; it has always been this way because this particular side (left-side) has always been abandoned. We want the government to ensure that they focus on both sides of the road, that would make pedestrians appreciate their works and we are optimistic that very soon we would stop experiencing inconvenience and the hike in bus fares’’.
