….To Commence Remediation Works on Alternative Routes
AgegePulse Magazine
In consideration of the strategic importance of the 3rd Mainland Bridge to commuters in Lagos, Government today clarified its position on the partial closure of the bridge to the public.
Speaking during a joint media briefing by the Federal and Lagos State Government the Federal Controller of Works, Olukayode Popoola, said that the proposed partial closure of alternate sections of the Third Mainland Bridge for repairs and maintenance works would commence by July 24, and will last for six months .
While urging commuters to cooperate with Government on the proposed maintenance works, the Federal Controller said the proposed closure is not total closure as reported in some segment of the media, but it is only “a partial closure to allow for the routine repairs and maintenance works which became necessary in order to avert structural damage to sections of the bridge”.
He said for the first phase of Third Mainland Bridge maintenance works traffic would be diverted to only the Lagos Island Bound section of the road to take motorists from Oworoshoki inward Lagos from 12 midnight to 1pm in the morning while in the afternoon, from 1pm to 12 midnight daily, the section of the road will be opened to traffic from Lagos Island inward Oworoshoki.
This arrangement will be alternated for the second phase of the project on the Oworoshoki bound lane after the first phase must have been concluded.
He advised motorists to use alternative routes such as from Carter to Bridge through Iddo, through Oyingbo to join Adekunle ramp inward Oworoshoki and another from Ijora-Olopa through Western Avenue to Ikorodu Road
Popoola, who said the last routine maintenance of the bridge was carried out over eight years ago however expressed regret over the attendant hardship and discomfort the maintenance works and partial closure would cause Lagosians.
Also speaking during the Press Briefing, Commissioner for Transportation, Fredric Oladeinde said a traffic advisory for alternative routes has been carefully planned to ease travelling for commuters plying the route.
He assured that officials from Lagos State Transport Management Authority (LASTMA), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) as well as other relevant government agencies would be on ground to enforce the traffic plan and ensure easy movement during the closure.
Special Adviser to the Governor on Works and Infrastructure, Aramide Adeyoye, said as a follow up to the notice of routine maintenance works on the Third Mainland Bridge the State Government had commenced remediation works on identified alternative routes to make it motor able for the public.
While urging transporters to ensure that only road worthy vehicles are put on the road she enjoined residents to desist from putting vehicles that are likely to break down on the roads as doing so would escalate traffic congestion. She said in order to ensure that the remediation works provided on the alternate roads is effective, the State Government is set to enforce extant rules and impound vehicles that are not road worthy.
According to the Special Adviser, “We need to change our habits and refrain from dumping refuse in the drains, indiscriminate parking of vehicles on roads and bridges and driving vehicles that are not road worthy on our roads we can reduce traffic congestion in the metropolis. “Drains provided for roads are not meant for solid waste disposal, rather they are pathways for water to run and when the drainages are choked or the cross culverts are blocked, the asphalt surface will become water logged thereby accelerating the rate of dilapidation of the roads”, this would further affect the free flow of traffic, she said
