[img]http://img1.nairaland.com/attachments/1165052_mokola_jpgbfa2744be386c1e4515b7d6a447ca078[/img]

This post was initially made to address people who only could see the flyover without any concept of the real picture of things. Blind criticisms of people like Okija is a mere show of stupidi.ty, really. I make my post not to convince you otherwise of your ill-conceived and prejudiced opinions for I am sure you have never been at that location before but for those who will be dispassionate and be objective this may help them to see. At the end of the day, the bridge is built by the government elected by the majority and that will suffice. Now to the issue:

Mokola is a MAJOR road developed for a long time before MOST states were even created in the SS. Ibadan is one of the most populous cities in Nigeria and the Mokola road connects Dugbe (business center) to Sango (another mega business area). From either end, the traffic is humongous and Mokola itself is densely populated with lots of big buildings, new and old and hosts major companies, banks, filling stations and private businesses and hospitals. The Mokola road is a DUAL CARRIAGE road itself but with the years of PDP, lawlessness allowed people to park or stop arbitrarily on one lane constricting the road at important places, exacerbating the traffic gridlock. The intersection at Mokola goes to Sabo on one hand and the other takes you towards UCH, Secretariat, etc. Now this should give you an idea that it is impossible to make the fly over any BIGGER for then you will in fact have not only to destroy all the buildings from somewhere within Mokola all the way past that major intersection (to Sabo and Secretariat, etc), that is 4 way destruction of 2 (dual carriage) roads! How much money will be needed for compensation? How much losses to businesses? In the circumstance, the entire area has to be almost effectively shutdown and this is a BIG part of the downtown Ibadan traffic! This is impossible and impracticable and goes against every grain of the economic welfare of the people and business! Now, let me tell you before you jump to any more conclusions!

That traffic on the long stretch of Mokola road going to that intersection can be reduced by linking to the road that turns towards Sabo before the Mokola intersection (assuming you are coming from Dugbe) and similar bypasses exist if you are coming from the opposite direction. To alleviate the gridlock at that intersection, eliminate the traffic that needs to turn left or right coming from Dugbe and Sango so they can go on one uninterrupted path. Provide the traffic that has to turn towards Secretariat or Sabo an opportunity without breaking stride and let the rest of the traffic proceed without much of a slow down. The result ==> eliminate or severely reduce the gridlock on one of the most important traffic arteries in the state and the minimum cost to businesses and individuals. In case you have not noticed, the bridge is like a 'bypass' on a dual carriage road, the road was a dual carriage road before any 'golden' dual carriage bridge you see in whatever state. Every project, terrain, resources and fundamentals are unique and a solution that may work in Akwa Ibom where the population density is very low can not and will not work in highly urbanized areas and built-up cities! Even if some buildings could be destroyed, I think it is VERY important to preserve the history of a city and its landmarks! There are places and universities in the West that have been over a hundred years old, with old architecture but modernized to serve the same purpose as new buildings. Plus, a new road, a new building today constructed by destroying an old one does not mean it would not get old one day itself! The key is to be innovative and creative about planning! I will take what the State government has done any day than what it was before and what you ignorantly propose here! While the government is doing that, they know they have LOTS of options which you cannot judge or see from a few pictures. For example, manage the traffic that goes towards the flyover by expanding existing and creating new adjoining roads towards and away from the intersection. There is a major intersection at some place called Danax before you get to the fly-over so traffic with no business in secretariat or towards Sango can turn towards Sabo, Adamsingba, etc. FYI, a network of roads in fact bypasses that flyover and can link you on your way to Sabo again where you link that road at Veterinary or almost opposite the road that goes to Premier Hotels. If you are coming from Sango, there is another detour towards Secretariat that exists around Group Medical, etc. I can go on and on but it only makes sense to those with an open mind who can appreciate the enormity of management of resources in a modern city, not village where you have nothing to think of drilling a few columns into the ground and placing your 'dual carriage flyover' on it!

CyberG: [img]http://img1.nairaland.com/attachments/1165052_mokola_jpgbfa2744be386c1e4515b7d6a447ca078[/img]

This post was initially made to address people who only could see the flyover without any concept of the real picture of things. Blind criticisms of people like Okija is a mere show of stupidi.ty, really. I make my post not to convince you otherwise of your ill-conceived and prejudiced opinions for I am sure you have never been at that location before but for those who will be dispassionate and be objective this may help them to see. At the end of the day, the bridge is built by the government elected by the majority and that will suffice. Now to the issue:

Mokola is a MAJOR road developed for a long time before MOST states were even created in the SS. Ibadan is one of the most populous cities in Nigeria and the Mokola road connects Dugbe (business center) to Sango (another mega business area). From either end, the traffic is humongous and Mokola itself is densely populated with lots of big buildings, new and old and hosts major companies, banks, filling stations and private businesses and hospitals. The Mokola road is a DUAL CARRIAGE road itself but with the years of PDP, lawlessness allowed people to park or stop arbitrarily on one lane constricting the road at important places, exacerbating the traffic gridlock. The intersection at Mokola goes to Sabo on one hand and the other takes you towards UCH, Secretariat, etc. Now this should give you an idea that it is impossible to make the fly over any BIGGER for then you will in fact have not only to destroy all the buildings from somewhere within Mokola all the way past that major intersection (to Sabo and Secretariat, etc), that is 4 way destruction of 2 (dual carriage) roads! How much money will be needed for compensation? How much losses to businesses? In the circumstance, the entire area has to be almost effectively shutdown and this is a BIG part of the downtown Ibadan traffic! This is impossible and impracticable and goes against every grain of the economic welfare of the people and business! Now, let me tell you before you jump to any more conclusions!

That traffic on the long stretch of Mokola road going to that intersection can be reduced by linking to the road that turns towards Sabo before the Mokola intersection (assuming you are coming from Dugbe) and similar bypasses exist if you are coming from the opposite direction. To alleviate the gridlock at that intersection, eliminate the traffic that needs to turn left or right coming from Dugbe and Sango so they can go on one uninterrupted path. Provide the traffic that has to turn towards Secretariat or Sabo an opportunity without breaking stride and let the rest of the traffic proceed without much of a slow down. The result ==> eliminate or severely reduce the gridlock on one of the most important traffic arteries in the state and the minimum cost to businesses and individuals. In case you have not noticed, the bridge is like a 'bypass' on a dual carriage road, the road was a dual carriage road before any 'golden' dual carriage bridge you see in whatever state. Every project, terrain, resources and fundamentals are unique and a solution that may work in Akwa Ibom where the population density is very low can not and will not work in highly urbanized areas and built-up cities! Even if some buildings could be destroyed, I think it is VERY important to preserve the history of a city and its landmarks! There are places and universities in the West that have been over a hundred years old, with old architecture but modernized to serve the same purpose as new buildings. Plus, a new road, a new building today constructed by destroying an old one does not mean it would not get old one day itself! The key is to be innovative and creative about planning! I will take what the State government has done any day than what it was before and what you ignorantly propose here! While the government is doing that, they know they have LOTS of options which you cannot judge or see from a few pictures. For example, manage the traffic that goes towards the flyover by expanding existing and creating new adjoining roads towards and away from the intersection. There is a major intersection at some place called Danax before you get to the fly-over so traffic with no business in secretariat or towards Sango can turn towards Sabo, Adamsingba, etc. FYI, a network of roads in fact bypasses that flyover and can link you on your way to Sabo again where you link that road at Veterinary or almost opposite the road that goes to Premier Hotels. If you are coming from Sango, there is another detour towards Secretariat that exists around Group Medical, etc. I can go on and on but it only makes sense to those with an open mind who can appreciate the enormity of management of resources in a modern city, not village where you have nothing to think of drilling a few columns into the ground and placing your 'dual carriage flyover' on it!

so what does your epistle teach us?

nice innovation there, @ picture.

It's really difficult to get impressed with a lot of projects these days especially when one has seen something better. But i think the most important thing here is whether or not this bridge meets a need and the locals are happy about it. If they are, then every other thing is not important. All fingers are not equal and every state must not develop at the same pace. States should just work on solving their unique problems and not try to be like another state especially if what they'll end up doing has no bearing on the citizenry. Ibadan as a city has been neglected for decades. So, i think it's commendable if a government is finally doing something no matter how small. Ajimobi mustn't turn Ibadan to London. He will do what he can do and leave the stage for another administrator that will continue from where he stopped and maybe decide to look at the needs of Ibadan and Oyo differently.

Yes, Akwa-Ibom probably has one of the best infrastructure right now. But all these infrastructure will become rustic in years to come if the people are not developed alongside the infrastructure. We can see an example of that from Calabar. A city must be able to sustain itself and not wait for a governor to build gigantic structures before it can be relevant.

But isn't it weird that cities and states that need the huge allocation don't get it.

Afam4eva: It's really difficult to get impressed with a lot of projects these days especially when one has seen something better. But i think the most important thing here is whether or not this bridge meets a need and the locals are happy about it. If they are, then every other thing is not important. All fingers are not equal and every state must not develop at the same pace. States should just work on solving their unique problems and not try to be like another state especially if what they'll end up doing has no bearing on the citizenry. Ibadan as a city has been neglected for decades. So, i think it's commendable if a government is finally doing something no matter how small. Ajimobi mustn't turn Ibadan to London. He will do what he can do and leave the stage for another administrator that will continue from where he stopped and maybe decide to look at the needs of Ibadan and Oyo differently.

Yes, Akwa-Ibom probably has one of the best infrastructure right now. But all these infrastructure will become rustic in years to come if the people are not developed alongside the infrastructure. We can see an example of that from Calabar. A city must be able to sustain itself and not wait for a governor to build gigantic structures before it can be relevant.

But isn't it weird that cities and states that need the huge allocation don't get it.

Well said Afam. What you said about not finding certain projects impressive is valid also to a certain extent as per an argument regarding aesthetics - which is a highly subjective arena where folks will often have to agree to disagree.

Mixing functionality and efficacy with looks, to judge delivered infrastructure, is however an error only unintelligent and ungracious folks will make. In my case, for example, there is hardly a modern City of the world I have not visited. Yet I have enough sense to understand that issues are , first and foremost, about end-users , with the specific challenges and limitations their leaders must work with, gaining functional infrastructure that aids development.

It would show a lack of class and poor developmental thinking on my part if I consider a bridge in Ekiti or Zamfara worthless because it does not look like what I have seen in Madrid, Milan, Florida, Houston, London, Paris, Rotterdam or Lisbon. Some of us do not praise these project because they are the heights of aesthetic architectural efforts for us. Far from it as we have seen much better and even gazed at cutting edge delivery that makes anything in Nigeria appear pedestrian. We praise these projects because the capacity to see the big picture, and factor in all the relevant considerations, makes us appreciate a perfectly adequate and entirely functional step in the right direction.

Afam4eva:

Yes, Akwa-Ibom probably has one of the best infrastructure right now.

Shouldn't that have been has some good roads instead of the flawed and dishonest highlighted?

I tough we've removed the cover and exposed that fallacy already?


As usual, you always try to sound reasonable, but your bogus intent always betray your thoughts..

@OP
Thanks for the clarification. As you have pointed out, each road works has its own peculiarity. Most of the people running their mouths have not even been to Ibadan before, not to talk of knowing the specific challenges that necessitated that bridge or if it overcomes those challenges. It's just their bastardized minds which can never see anything good in anything that was talking.

oddy4real:
so what does your epistle teach us?

The smart ones will learn wisdom even in a sentence but even if a ton of books smack a brainless schmuck in the face, he will only ask your kind of question. Go figure!

CyberG:

The smart ones will learn wisdom even in a sentence but even if a ton of books smack a brainless schmuck in the face, he will only ask your kind of question. Go figure!

why honouring that waste of space android with a reply.