Oyo State Government has shut down temporarily the 76.67km Alao-Akala Memorial Highway to construct weighbridges on it.

Commissioner for Public Works, Infrastructure and Transport, Professor Dahud Kehinde Shangodoyin, who disclosed this on Thursday said the move was necessitated by the desire to preserve the road.

He said when completed, the weighbridges would be deployed to determine the weight of heavy duty trucks plying the road, adding that while trailers within the permissible weights would be allowed to use the road after paying the stipulated fees, heavy duty trucks with excess weight would be turned back.

The Commissioner stated that fee payments on the road would only be applicable to trailers. He maintained that the move is to protect the new road designed to serve as a link between Ogbomoso and Iseyin as well as other parts of the state and the country, noting that the weighbridges will help to reduce the burden on the road and enhance its longevity.

According to Shangodoyin, though the design and construction of the road were done with quality in mind, it is a Trunk B Road that should be plied by heavy duty trucks and articulated vehicles that are within permissible weight.