The federal government says there will total closure of the Third Mainland Bridge for three days, beginning from mid-night of Friday, October 9, to midnight of Sunday, October 11, 2020, in order to ensure there will be no vibration during the casting in-place of the newly installed expansion joints.
This closure, according to a statement from the federal ministry of works, Lagos, is also to allow for the setting of the special concrete, which allows the concrete to achieve its required compressive strength.
“Due to the number of expansion joints to be cast on the closed section of the bridge and the traffic situation in Lagos State, especially during the weekdays, the casting of the expansion joints will be in two stages to ensure that the total closure is only at the weekends when there is less traffic plying the route,” Olukayode Popoola, Controller, ministry of works, Lagos, explained further.
Popoola noted that the contractor handling the repair work on the bridge, Borini Prono & Co (Nig) Limited, was nearing completion of work on the closed section of the 11.8-kilometre bridge.
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This, he said, required the total closure of both bounds of the bridge between Adeniji Adele and Adekunle in addition to the closed bound of the bridge. The other bound from Adekunle to Adeniji Adele, he added, would also be closed to enable completion of the work.
The controller stated that while this first total closure of the bridge between Adekunle and Adeniji Adele would take place on the dates and time stated above to allow the contractor complete the first stage of casting works, the second total closure of the section of the bridge between the same Adekunle and Adeniji Adele would be communicated at a later date.
“We regret any inconveniences this 3 – day closure will cause,” Popoola said, assuring that the section of the bridge between Adekunle and Iyana – Oworo would still remain open, and traffic could move from Ebute-Metta/ Adekunle to Iyana – Oworo and vice-versa.
Though the controller has assured that traffic management personnel would be in place on all the alternative routes to help with traffic flow, the expectation is that driving experience in the adjoining areas, especially on the alternative routes, will be worse.
That means motorists will have longer hours to endure in traffic on the alternative routes as the routes will experience heavier traffic than they do at the moment.
