Lagos- Ibadan Expressway: Concern over incessant damage of overhead bridges by trucks

 

 

 

No fewer than five overhead bridges on the Lagos -Ibadan Expressway have been damaged by articulated trucks/trailers.

The interchange bridges are located at Mowe, Ogere, Sapade and other two locations on the expressway.

While the  Lotto interchange Bridge is yet to be completed, other affected bridges are old infrastructure.

At Lotto Interchange for example, no fewer than five beams of the uncompleted bridge were  damaged by the low-bed articulated vehicle recently.

 The low-bed articulated vehicle, which was transporting an excavator, was said to have collided with the bridge structure.

As it is with Lotto bridge so with other interchanges bridge on the axis.

Decrying the situation after an inspection tour, the Minister of Work and Housing, Sen. David Umahi, said the incessant hitting of the bridge’s beams by trucks posed serious dangers.

He explained that a lot of the beams have been compromised by vehicles. 

During the inspection, Umahi said: “We checked five bridges, and we discovered that we have a problem in as much as the standard headroom in bridge design is 5.6 metres.”

He noted that some of the bridges were up to 6.2 metres while some were 5.6 metres.

“The least we had was one that was 5.4 metres.”

He regretted that some of the beams were being hit by vehicles, posing dangers.

“Of the five bridges we inspected, our directive is that we are going to descend the carriageway.

“We are going to dig up to one metre and then reconstruct the carriageway,” he said.

Umahi said that the aim was to create headroom that would be up to 6.5 metres.

He directed that the minimum requirement henceforth would be 6.5 metres to achieve the desired results.

The minister said he had directed that the Alapako Bridge in Ogun should be closed.

“The way it is now is very dangerous because a lot of the beams are compromised by vehicles,” the minister said.

Motorists and commutters blamed overloading,  reckless driving and lack of enforcement of traffic regulations for the incessant damage to the bridges.

One of the motorists, Ayo Akinmolu, said that it’s unheard of that there is no functional weigh bridge on the expressway.

“Some of the drivers are very reckless, some even are in the habit of getting drunk without any regards for road sign, “ he said.

They canvassed for the reintroduction of weighbridges on major highways in the country.

Earlier , the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, Mrs Olukorede Kesha, had expressed concern over a significant damage caused to the almost-completed Lotto Bridge Interchange.

She confirmed that the driver responsible for the incident had been arrested by the police.

Kesha expressed worry at the extent of the destruction, saying that the incident occurred in the early hours of penultimate  Thursday,  when the excavator’s boom, not properly secured, struck the bridge beams.

“From what we observed, the boom of the excavator was not properly lowered from the port, which made it too high to pass under the bridge,” she said.

The accident, according to Kesha, damaged five beams on the bridge, with two of them severely compromised and requiring complete replacement.

She said that the damage would have adverse effects on road traffic, motorists and the economy.

“To carry out the repairs, we will have to shut this section of the road and divert traffic to the other side.

“Anyone familiar with Lagos-Ibadan Expressway knows how critical this route is. Traffic here is something else.”

“The damage is extensive, and it will cost the nation a lot.

He said that  detailed assessments of the damaged bridges are ongoing and that 

work would begin as soon as the report is submitted and approved.

“We are preparing a comprehensive report, which includes the scope of work, cost implications and a detailed repair plan.

“Once we get the go-ahead, the contractor will swing into action,” she added.

Kesha also highlighted the broader damage caused by heavy-duty vehicles on Nigerian roads.

She urged vehicle owners and logistics companies to take precautions and ensure that their trucks are be roadworthy and within height limits.

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She said that weighbridges, designed to check overloading, would soon be operational at the Old Toll Gate on the expressway.

“ What happened here is a clear case of negligence.The minimum clearance height is five metres, and we even exceeded that to 5.6 to six metres because we know the kind of drivers we deal with.