Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu says the red rail line which will run from Agbado to Ebute Meta will test operation next month.
The governor stated this at the inauguration of the six-hundred-and-twenty-meter Ikeja overpass on the Red Line corridor.
Governor Sanwo-Olu, who said his administration was committed to zero carbon emission in Lagos State by 2030, said an efficient mass transit would reduce the number of private vehicles on the roads.
He said hundreds of CNG buses would soon join the fleet of public buses in the state before the commencement of the thirty-seven-kilometre red rail line.
Governor Sanwo-Olu appealed to residents and motorists to ensure judicious use of the Ikeja overpass and other public infrastructure.
The Special Guest at the ceremony, the Chairman Nigeria Governors’ Forum and Governor of Kwara State, Abdulramman Abdulrazaq said the project showed that development was a process that could only be achieved through consistency in policies.
The Speaker of the Lagos State Assembly, Chief Mudashiru Obasa said the bridge would not only reduce traffic and ensure safety of commuters, but contribute to the economy of the area and the state in general.
The Managing Director of the Lagos State Metropolitan Transport Authority, Mrs Abimbola Akinajo said the Ikeja overpass on the Red Line of the Lagos Rail Mass Transit would separate vehicular, human and train traffic to reduce accidents to the barest.
Speaking on behalf of the people of Ikeja, the Council Chairman, Dr Mojeed Balogun, thanked the governor for the project.
The T-shaped Ikeja Overpass is one of five bridges to be constructed by the Lagos State Government at level crossings while another five will be built by the federal government.
Already, Lagos State has constructed four overpasses at Agege, Yaba, Oyingbo and Ikeja while the last one at Mushin is under construction.
The federal government has constructed one overpass at Asade remaining four to complete the Red Line project.