Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has opened the newly rehabilitated Odo Iya Alaro Bridge for public use, saying that the rehabilitation was in line with the commitment of his administration to ensure adequate traffic management and ease of transportation in the state.
Governor Sanwo-Olu, who was represented at the opening of the rehabilitated bridge by the Deputy Governor, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, reiterated that the state government had continuously maintained road infrastructures and put them in good shape for the benefit of commuters in the state.
The governor, while ascertaining the readiness of the bridge for immediate public use, enjoined the citizens to join hands with the state government, to assume the responsibility for the bridge by ensuring that they continue to protect the infrastructure.
He further warned miscreants in the state to refrain from removing the newly installed manhole covers, which he said were now made of fibres and not metals, vowing that the state government would prosecute anyone caught in such an act.
“The newly replaced manholes are now made of fibres and not metals, so this makes it useless to whoever takes it.
“Let the manholes be, they are there to protect human beings so that they don’t fall off the bridge, they are there for safety.
“And if anyone is caught removing the manholes from the bridge, such will be prosecuted,” the governor said.
Governor Sanwo-Olu further commended all the stakeholders involved in the early completion of the bridge, pointing out that the rehabilitation works which ought to have taken ninety days was completed in 54 days.
The governor thanked the Office of Works, Infrastructure, Ministry of Transportation, the Lagos State Traffic Management Agency (LASTMA), and others for a job well done.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Infrastructure, Engr. Olufemi Daramola, earlier in his address, explained that the rehabilitation of the Odo Iya Alaro (Ojota/Maryland) Bridge entailed the installation of new expansion joints and remedial works which had made it now motorable and ready for use.
Daramola added that the bridge, which had been closed to traffic since July 22, 2024, was completed and reopened to traffic ahead of schedule because the government was eager to ease the suffering of road users in the corridor.