25th August, 2018
Lagos State Government on Friday allayed fears over closure of Third Mainland Bridge for integrity test, assuring commuters of a free flow of traffic in the state during the four day duration.
Commissioner for Transportation, Ladi Lawanson gave the assurance at a news conference to restate the alternative routes for vehicles for the duration of the closure of the bridge.
The alternatives routes, according to the commissioner were: motorists from Lagos-Abeokuta motor road, Agege, Ogba and Ikeja were to make use of Oshodi via Mushin, Ojuelegba to connect Eko bridge into Lagos Island.
“While those from Ikorodu, Maryland are to make use of Yaba, Oyingbo, Iddo to acess Carter bridge into Idumota, Martins street and thence Balogun and motorists from Okokomaiko, Festac, Oshodi-Apapa expressway are enjoined to play through Ajegunle via Marine bridge to Ijora to connect Carter or Eko bridge by Ijora Olopa to Apongbon, Lagos Island.
“Conversely, motorists from the Island are expected to play Eko bridge and Carter bridge into Mainland, while those in Lekki Ajah can also make use of Epe axis through Imota into Ikorodu”, Lawanson said.
The commissioner added that the palliative measures were to ensure movement with least inconvenience by commuters, assuring that government would be updating Lagosians from time to time on the arrangements and that traffic personnel from the police, Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, and Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA were on the field to ensure hitch-free traffic.
“Report so far from our men in the field on the first day of the exercise says that they are doing an excellent job and there is free flow of traffic,” he said.
Lawanson apologised for any inconvenience the closure and present arrangement might cause road users, while urging commuters to contact the government through the Ministry of Transportation and media if there were any hitches, promising that the government would make it as smooth as possible.
He said the integrity test on the bridge which was postponed till now because of the appeal of the state government to the federal government not to compound the traffic situation caused by indiscriminate parking of tankers in Apapa roads, was imperative and a standard practice all over the world to ensure safety of road users and also not to increase hardship being experienced by commuters.
The commissioner said the result of the integrity test would determine what actions would follow, saying that would be addressed by the Federal Ministry of Works.
The commissioner also said that the government was working very hard to take tankers off Apapa-Oshodi expressway and that after that was done, it would conduct integrity test on Apapa and other bridges in the state for further action.