Politics
THE Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) on Monday said it was speeding up alternative routes repairs to ensure smooth rides and avert gridlock during the closure of the Lagos Third Mainland Bridge for repairs.
Mr Rufus Onimisi, FERMA southwest II Zonal Coordinator, said this during site inspection of the ongoing rehabilitation of roads in Ijora 7Up area of Lagos.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Third Mainland Bridge will be closed for six months for another phase of repair works from Friday.
Onimisi said that FERMA had been busy fixing bad roads and fast-tracking rehabilitation of major alternative routes to avert traffic congestions during the bridge’s closure.
He said that the agency had completed repairs of the Oyingbo/Iddo section and immediately moved its equipment to continue work on the Ijora 7Up area.
“Our agency carries out maintaince all year round and these roads are in our programme but we are expediting action because of the Third Mainland Bridge that will be closed on Friday.
“Here the graders are scarifying the bad materials, it is damaged asphalt so we are removing them.
“We will now introduce stone base, and then we have two layers of asphalt, we have the binder course which we are going to lay on the stone base after which we will now lay the wearing course.
“We just finished the work at Iddo we started since Saturday and moved our equipment here, and we have a load of ashpalt to lay on the already prepared portion over there,” he said.
He said that the agency was stabilizing the road on Agege Motor Road with bounders while it tackles a major drainage problem causing flooding before embarking on permanent repairs.
“As I am talking, we are working between Moshalashi to Mushin on the road,” he said.
Onimisi listed roads that had been repaired and still receiving attention to include Herbert Macaulay Way, Oyingbo, Bode Thomas, Eric Moore, Ijora Course Way, Ijora Olopa and Iddo roads.
He added that the Federal Ministry of Works and the Lagos State Government were also working on some sections.
Onimisi said that desilting of major drains between the Iganmu and Ijora Bridges were ongoing to address flooding and constant road failure around the area.
Also, Mr Emmanuel Kayode, FERMA Deputy Director Operations, told journalists that he was on ground to see progress of work towards Third Mainland Bridge closure.
He said that the Minister of Works and Housing and FERMA were concerned about the impact the Third Mainland Bridge repairs would generate on traffic, hence the urgent measures.
He said that alternative routes were very important because of the huge traffic the Third Mainland Bridge takes.
“We have decided to do these alternative routes urgent repairs to ensure seamless flow of traffic during the period that the Third Mainland Bridge would be closed,” he said.
NAN recalls that the Third Mainland Bridge, which has gone through series of rehabilitation works, was last shut in August 2018 for a three day investigative maintenance check.
Thereafter, some components needed for completion of repairs which were not available locally were sourced abroad.
The 11.8km Third Mainland Bridge is the longest of three bridges connecting Lagos Island to the mainland.
The bridge starts from Oworonshoki, linked to the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway and Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, and ends at the Adeniji Adele Interchange on Lagos Island.
It was constructed in 1990 and it was adjudged as the longest in Africa until 1996 when the Oct. 6 Bridge in Cairo, Egypt was completed. (NAN)
– Jul. 21, 2020 @ 8:55 GMT |
Tags: Third Mainland Bridge closure: FERMA intensifies alternative routes rehabilitation
