Apapa traffic to worsen as Lagos closes Marine Beach Bridge for repairs

Residents and businesses located within the precincts of Apapa are in for longer travel time as the Lagos State government says it is closing the Marine Beach Bridge for five months for emergency repair works.

The all-important bridge, according to the state government, would be partially closed from Total Gas inwards Apapa from Wednesday, May 27 to Wednesday, October 21, 2020.

Apapa is home to Nigeria’s two busiest ports – Apapa and Tin Can Island – which together account for about 75 percent of the total export and import activities in Nigeria. The port city also harbours industrial estate and residential area.

But the city has become notorious for traffic jams, with motorists sometimes trapped for five or more hours within the area.

The gridlock and congestion in Apapa have not only made life miserable for residents and business owners in the port city, but are also hurting and squeezing the real sector and the economy as a whole.

Several businesses and residents have had to relocate from the port community in the last 10 years as the traffic situation seems to defy every solution.

But the Lagos State government said on Sunday that the planned repairs were intended as part of the vision to provide a seamless transportation system across the metropolis.

Frederic Oladeinde, Lagos State commissioner for transportation, said in a statement that the repairs to be carried out by the Federal Ministry of Works had been long overdue.

Oladeinde said the repairs were vital for the safety of the people, especially motorists that ply the bridge to access different parts of the state.

He explained, however, that necessary palliative works have been carried out on alternative routes around the construction site, putting them in motorable condition to ease movements during the construction period.

The commissioner also said that the repairs which comprise bearing and expansion joint replacement would be executed in two phases, with each phase focusing on one lane of the bridge at a time.

“The first phase will involve handling the lane inbound Apapa while the second phase will be designated to work on the lane that conveys vehicles outside the axis,” he said.

He further disclosed that adequate arrangement has been put in place to manage the construction period, adding that motorists inwards Wharf Road would be diverted to the other section of the bridge outwards Apapa.

He said that a contraflow of 200 metres has been put in place for vehicles to realign with a proper direction inwards Ajegunle or Wharf Road, Apapa, while motorists descending to Total Gas under-bridge will drive without any hindrance.

The commissioner added that the traffic management authorities, including the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), would be stationed at the construction locations to ameliorate the effect of the expected traffic issues.

While appealing to motorists and residents of the area to cooperate with the traffic management bodies deployed to the area to manage the traffic situation, the state government expressed commitment to providing a transportation system that “will meet the needs of a larger population in an emerging smart city”.