Construction work on Phase Two of the Ibadan Circular Road project, which links Moniya in Akinyele Local Government to the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, has intensified, with officials describing the corridor as a total transformation for Ibadan and Oyo State at large.
The Circular Road is a 110-kilometre highway designed to ring the Oyo State capital, ease traffic congestion within the metropolis, and open new economic corridors around Ibadan. Phase Two, which runs from Moniya through Akinyele and connects to the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, is considered a critical segment of the project because it ties the northern axis of the city to the major gateway into Oyo State from Lagos and other parts of the country.
Governor Seyi Makinde, whose administration reactivated the project and restructured its financing model, has repeatedly described the Circular Road as a legacy infrastructure that will redefine urban planning, logistics, and investment in Oyo State. According to the state government, the road will decongest the Ibadan metropolis by diverting heavy-duty and transit traffic away from the city centre, cut travel time for motorists heading to Ogbomoso, Oyo, and the northern parts of the country, and create an industrial and residential belt around Ibadan.
Work on Phase Two involves extensive earthworks, construction of bridges and interchanges, and dualisation of key sections to handle projected traffic volumes. The corridor is expected to host new housing estates, industrial parks, agro-processing hubs, and commercial developments, leveraging its proximity to the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and the Ibadan Dry Port project. Officials say right-of-way acquisition and compensation for affected properties along the Moniya-Akinyele axis have been prioritised to avoid delays, while engineering standards are being monitored to ensure durability.
Stakeholders in Akinyele Local Government have welcomed the pace of work, noting that the road will boost property values, ease movement of farm produce from the food basket areas of the local government, and attract private investment. Transport unions operating in Moniya and along the old Oyo Road also anticipate reduced travel time and lower vehicle maintenance costs once the phase is completed and opened to traffic.
The Oyo State Government maintains that the Circular Road, conceived decades ago but stalled by funding and technical challenges, is now being executed in phases under a structured public-private framework to guarantee delivery. Phase One, which covers the eastern segment from the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway at the Technical University axis to Badeku, is also at an advanced stage.
When completed, the entire 110km Circular Road will link all the major federal highways that radiate from Ibadan, the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ibadan-Ife Expressway, Ibadan-Abeokuta Road, and Ibadan-Oyo-Ogbomoso Road, creating an outer ring that authorities say will transform Ibadan into a modern, planned metropolis and position Oyo State as a logistics and investment hub in the South West.
