Lagos govt begins maintenance work of bridges

The Lagos State Government has commenced routine maintenance works on pedestrian and vehicular bridges in the state.

This aligns with its bridge maintenance and management policy and global Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC) practices.

This was disclosed by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Infrastructure, Mr Olufemi Daramola, an engineer, while inspecting the extent of ongoing works on Kodesoh Bridge in Ikeja Local Government Area of the state.

He urged stakeholders to support the contractors on site to ensure timely delivery of the maintenance works.

While he reiterated the government’s commitment to the timely delivery of the project, the special adviser said the state government is not unmindful of the inconvenience the maintenance works would have on commuters. He, however, appealed for patience and cooperation from the motoring public.

He said, “The asphaltic work and the replacement of the joints have been scheduled for completion in about 15 days.” Daramola affirmed the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration’s commitment to infrastructure upgrades in the state. “Several bridges have this same type of problem in Lagos.

The government of Mr Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu is on top of it, and they’re scheduled to be attended to in phases. For instance, the Ojota Bridge is one of them, the Asolo Bridge is one of them, and the Oke-afa Bridge was reinstated over the weekend.

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“In addition to this, there are many pedestrian bridges that have problems, and the one at Ojodu Beggar Bus Stop has been reinstated, and it will be a continuous process.

“However, we are mindful of the locations. For instance, you’re well aware that there’s work going on the Third Mainland Bridge, and we need to, in conjunction with the Ministry of Transportation, ensure that the work we do will not negatively impact movement,” Daramola said.

The special adviser promised to give residents and stakeholders the best value in terms of traffic management for the project and also cautioned the contractor to ensure the project is delivered within the time frame earmarked for it.

The Lagos State Government had hitherto announced that the Kodesoh Bridge will not be open to vehicular traffic during the maintenance work. Traffic has been diverted on the Kodesoh Bridge from Sunday, February 4, 2024, to Monday, 4th March 2024.

Daramola said the closure was necessitated by the failure of the expansion joints on the bridge.

“There are two sections where the expansion joints are bad and must be replaced to avoid further deterioration. In addition, other access roads, from Awolowo Way and Oba Akran, inward and outward, are opened to motorists,” he said.

He further assured that traffic management personnel will be deployed to the affected route to minimize inconveniences and control traffic flow.