Third Mainland bridge, Lagos
The Lagos State Government has said the Third Mainland Bridge would
be temporarily shut down for four days starting from midnight of August
23 to midnight of August 26 for “investigative maintenance test” to be carried out, according to a report by Premium Times.
The announcement was made by Ade Akinsanya, the Commissioner for
Works and Infrastructure, in a statement Sunday said the decision was
taken after due consultation with the Federal Ministry of Power, Works
and Housing.
The four-day closure, according to Mr Akinsanya, will enable the
contractors assess the true state of the bridge after which works would
commence by the end of the year or early in 2019.
The federal government had earlier announced plans to shut the
bridge in July, but the decision had to be shelved after due
consultation with the state government and wide deliberations with other
stakeholders, who expressed concern about the indiscriminate parking of
articulated vehicles on other alternative routes which would have
adversely affected traffic.
“The Third Mainland Bridge which was opened about 30 years ago
by the then military government has had haphazard maintenance and
repairs in the past which the present Federal Government is committed to
correct by carrying out proper and continuous maintenance and repairs
on it,” said Mr Akinsanya.
Consequently, the state government appealed for the cooperation,
support and understanding of all motorists and residents, advising them
to minimize non-essential travel and movements during the four-day
closure.
Mr Akinsanya said all traffic management agencies including the
Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Federal Road Safety
Corps (FRSC) and the Police, among others, have been mandated to ensure
smooth flow of traffic on all the other alternative roads and traffic
corridor across the metropolis to ensure free flow of traffic.