Lagos allays residents’ fear over closure of Third Mainland Bridge

Amid apprehension over the partial closure of the Third Mainland Bridge which kicked off by 12 midnight on Friday, Lagos State government has reassured Lagosians that there is no cause for alarm as all necessary measures to ameliorate any discomfort had been taken.

The state government gave this assurance on Friday at a joint press conference addressed by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso; his counterpart in Transportation, Dr Frederick Oladeinde; Special Advisers to Lagos State Governor on Works and Infrastructure, Mrs Aramide Adeyoye: Special Adviser on Transportation, Mr Oluwatoyin Fayinka, as well as Chairman, Presidential Task Force Team on Apapa, Mr Kayode Opeifa.

This was just as the state government said funding for the reconstruction of Abule-Egba-Toll Gate route on the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway was ready but work was being delayed due to the procurement process.

Oladeinde, while assuring residents, said there was no need to worry as 75 per cent road of users would not be affected, pointing out that alternative routes had been created for the 25 per cent that would be affected as most times they would be travelling against traffic.

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Also, the State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Omotoso, assured that all well- known traffic management strategies had been put in place to ensure a smooth ride during the partial closure.

According to the Special Adviser on Works and Infrastructure Mrs Adeyoye, the government has assigned all the responsibilities to all the traffic management agencies in the state especially the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA), adding that major repairs had been carried out on inner roads in areas like Oyingbo and Yaba that have direct links with the bridge to ensure a hitch-free ride.

She assured that the alternative routes would make movement easier for people, assuring that the state government had done everything to make life a little more comfortable for people as they journeyed to ensure a smooth ride.

Also speaking, Special Adviser on Transportation, Mr Fayinka assured that a total of 650 LASTMA officials would take the lead in traffic management to be complemented by other traffic agencies, adding: “They are well prepared and trained and are ready.”

Opeifa equally assured that there was no cause for alarm because it was something that had been done before, saying there won’t be much stress or hardship on road users.

The General Manager LASTMA, Mr Olajide Oduyoye, while noting that the period of partial closure was not the time for the officers to arrest offenders for minor traffic infractions, however, it was the responsibility of every Lagosian to deal with the traffic on the roads, even as he urged everybody should be part of the traffic management this period.

“This is not the time for the officers to arrest offenders for minor traffic infractions” because of the ongoing repair of the bridge.

“It is the responsibility of every Lagosian to deal with the traffic on the roads,” he said.

“You are part of the problem of traffic management if you are buying and selling in traffic, parking on the road, disobeying traffic officers, you don’t need LASTMA to come and teach you how to drive, try your ultimate best to drive properly,” he further said.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE