The Federal Government on Sunday evening, reopened the Third Mainland Bridge barely 24 hours after closure for palliative work. The Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, Olukorede Kesha, yesterday, expressed satisfaction with repairs done on the Bridge, assuring motorists of a smooth ride till the commencement of comprehensive rehabilitation in January 2024. Ms Kesha gave the assurance during an on-the-spot assessment of the repairs on the bridge. On Thursday, the controller announced a 24-hour closure of the bridge to allow for repairs of some critical portions.
The closure took effect from midnight on Saturday and is expected to last till midnight on Sunday to reduce the hardship being faced by motorists. During the inspection, the controller stopped on various portions between Iyana-Oworo and Adeniji-Adele where remedial repairs had been done on a 9.7-kilometer stretch of the Lagos Island in-bound lane.
She stated that the construction done was just palliative work to keep the highway in good condition pending the comprehensive rehabilitation scheduled for January 2024.
“This repair is going to last beyond January; we don’t intend to do any work that will last only one or two months. Even by January, the road will still be good,” she said.
Meanwhile, some motorists who spoke with journalists expressed gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, they called for more routine maintenance and increased funding for the Bridge and other roads in Lagos.
While commending Mr Tinubu, the motorists also appealed for increased funding for federal road projects in the state.
The 11.8-kilometre bridge which was constructed in 1990 is the longest of the three bridges connecting Lagos Island to the mainland.
The bridge, which starts from Oworonshoki, linking the Apapa-Oshodi expressway and Lagos-Ibadan expressway, ends at the Adeniji-Adele interchange on Lagos Island.
It was and adjudged as the longest bridge in Africa until 1996, when the construction of the October 6 Bridge in Cairo, Egypt, was completed.
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