Motorists call out FG on closure of Third Mainland Bridge

Motorists in Lagos have called out the federal government over the closure of the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos to traffic, starting from 7am on Monday, November 20, 2023.

The motorists are complaining of the hardship the closure of the four ramps that link the bridge to Adekunle is causing them, saying that the government should have come up with a less painful way to do the repair work beyond 100 percent closure.

“This is unacceptable any time, considering the strategic importance of Third Mainland Bridge to motorists in Lagos. The FG must come up with a less painful way to do this work beyond 100 percent closure,” a motorist who did not want his name mentioned told BusinessDay.

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According to the motorist, who welcomed the repair work being carried out on the bridge, the closure of the four ramps at the same time would pile massive suffering on Lagosians who commute on the bridge,” he said, adding, “imagine the suffering in terms of traffic congestion; imagine the robberies in the traffic gridlock that will ensue; imagine the loss of man hours.”

Another motorist who lives on the Island but has his office in Ikeja also lamented the suffering the closure of the bridge would subject road users to, wondering why the government changed its earlier plan of working between the hours of 12 midnight and 4am when the bridge would be free of traffic.

The motorist, who identified himself as Chidi, also pleaded with the government to find a way to make commuting on the bridge during the repair period less stressful to commuters, stressing that carrying out repair work on the bridge was a good thing to do, but “it has to be done without inflicting pain on road users.”

The Federal Government had, through the Federal Ministry of Works, announced that the 11.8 kilometres bridge would be closed to traffic by 7am on Monday.

Olukorede Keisha, the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos State, who made this known in a statement on Friday, explained that the Federal Government was set to undertake extensive repairs on the bridge.

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“The Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Works, wishes to inform the motoring public that the government has perfected plans to carry out comprehensive repairs of Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos,” Kesha said.

“In view of the above, the motoring public is, hereby, notified that all four ramps connecting Adekunle to Third Mainland Bridge will be closed at the same time going forward,” the controller added.

She advised that motorists should use alternative routes while cooperating with the traffic management officials deployed to manage traffic and ensure a hitch-free movement.