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Tag: Third Mainland Bridge

  • Lagos Govt to partially close Third Mainland Bridge on Saturday

    Lagos Govt to partially close Third Mainland Bridge on Saturday

    The Lagos State government has announced plans to close the Oworonshoki bound lane of the Third Mainland Bridge totally to vehicular movement by midnight on Saturday, February 6.

    It noted that the closure would remain in force until 7pm on Sunday, February 7, for the removal of the last expansion joint on the Oworonshoki bound lane.

    The government made the announcement in a statement on Wednesday by the Ministry of Transportation.

    It explained that the closure was important to enable the contractors to move their equipment to the Oworonshoki bound lane within the given period without any interruption by vehicular movement on the bridge.

    The Commissioner for Transportation in Lagos, Dr Frederic Oladeinde, who made the announcement on behalf of the governor, stated that the rehabilitation process was being enhanced to ensure that set deadlines were met.

    He gave an assurance that traffic management personnel would be deployed along the alternative routes to minimise and address any traffic impediment during the closure.

    Oladeinde also appealed for cooperation from residents, saying the ongoing repair work on the bridge was for the safety of all and sundry.

    He added that the Babajide Sanwo-Olu led administration would not relent in ensuring the safety of residents on roads in the state.

    During the closure, the government urged motorists from Ogudu, Alapere, and Gbagada are advised to use Ikorodu Road, Jibowu, and Yaba as alternative routes.

    Those from Lagos Island, Iddo, Oyingbo, Adekunle, and Yaba attempting to go through Iyana Oworosoki were asked to use Herbert Macaulay Way, Jibowu, and Ikorodu Road as alternative routes.

  • FG announces final date for reopening of Third Mainland Bridge

    FG announces final date for reopening of Third Mainland Bridge

    The Minister of Works and Housing Babatunde Fashola has confirmed that the Third Mainland Bridge will be fully reopened to traffic by February 15.

    The Minister gave the update on Thursday during an inspection of construction work on major roads and bridges in Lagos State.

    The Minister and his team visited the section of the Apapa-Oshodi expressway engulfed by fire when a petrol tanker burst into flames.

    According to Fashola, a former Lagos State Governor, the partial closure of the third mainland bridge is delaying the scheduled maintenance on Falomo bridge.

    “Once the third mainland bridge is reopened, we will move to Falomo bridge and replace the expansion joints,” he said.

    The third mainland bridge has been partially shut since July 24 for repair works.

    The bridge had been scheduled to reopen fully in January. But two weeks lost to the #EndSARS protests necessitated a push in the completion date, according to the Ministry of Works and its contractors.

    The bridge is reputed to be the busiest, in terms of vehicular traffic, in the country.

  • FG announces fresh two week total shutdown of Third Mainland Bridge

    FG announces fresh two week total shutdown of Third Mainland Bridge

    The Federal Government has said it will shut the Lagos Island bound traffic on the Third Mainland Bridge for two weeks commencing from Wednesday, January 13 – January 27, as part of ongoing rehabilitation works on the busy bridge.

    This was revealed in a memo by the Office of the Federal Controller of Works (Federal Ministry of Works & Housing) to the Lagos State Ministry of Transportation on Saturday and made available to the TheNewsGuru.com, TNG.

    The memo titled “Shifting of current diversion point towards Oworosonki and closing of the Lagos Island bound carriageway including the Adekunle slip Road” and signed by the Federal Controller, Works Lagos, Engineer Popoola Olukayode called for cooperation and understanding from the public, particularly, motorists.

    According to Popoola, “The contractor plans to shift the current diversion point 2 kilometres towards Oworonsoki and close to traffic the Lagos Island bound carriageway including the Adekunle bound slip road beside the current diversion points for two weeks starting from Wednesday, January 12 to 27.

    ”This is to enable her remove, replace and cast in place joint 23 after the current diversion point alongside the other two joints—16 and 17. She is working on presently on the Lagos Island bound carriageway.” He explained that after casting the three joints and asphalting, the whole Lagos Island bound carriageway will be reopened to traffic. Popoola, however, assured that the repairs would not be delayed unnecessary to allow for smooth traffic.

  • FG to open Third Mainland Bridge to traffic ahead of schedule

    FG to open Third Mainland Bridge to traffic ahead of schedule

    The Federal Controller of Works, Lagos State, Mr Olukayode Popoola has said the total shutdown of the Third Mainland Bridge would be lifted at midnight 24 hours ahead of schedule.

    Popoola made this known on Sunday in Lagos, saying the total shutdown of the bridge had to be lifted because the contractor was able to fasttrack the delicate task they needed to execute.

    He told NAN that the initially scheduled 72 hours time frame was achieved within 48 hours, hence the reopening to traffic 24 hours ahead of schedule.

    “We have completed the casting of the three number expansion joints on Third Mainland bridge.

    “Therefore, the bridge shall be opened at 12:00 midnight Sunday 27th December. and no longer Monday 28th December. That is 48 hours and no more 72 hours,” Popoola said.

    The controller had on Tuesday, Dec. 22 announced a 72 hours total shutdown of the bridge with effect from midnight on Saturday to midnight Tuesday.

    The shutdown was to stop vibrations caused by movement of vehicles for contractors to cast concrete on additional three expansion joints in the ongoing rehabilitation of the bridge.

    The Third Mainland Bridge which was going through a series of repairs, had to be partially shut on July 24 for another round of rehabilitation works.

    The repair that was expected to last six months was extended by one month due to the recent #EndSARS protests in Lagos, thereby extending the completion date from January 2021 to February.

    The construction was initially divided into two phases of three months on each carriageway, starting with the Oworonsoki bound carriageway whose completion dragged to four months.

    Traffic was partially diverted on a stretch of 3.5km where construction is ongoing between Adeniji Adeniji Ramp and Ebute Meta, while different time belts were allotted for traffic diversions on the bridge.

    The 11.8km bridge is the longest of the three bridges connecting Lagos Island to the Mainland.

    The bridge starts from Oworonshoki, which is linked to the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway and the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and ends at the Adeniji Adele Interchange on Lagos Island.

    Constructed in 1990, the bridge was adjudged as the longest in Africa until 1996 when the Oct. 6 Bridge in Cairo, Egypt was completed.

  • FG shutdowns Third Mainland Bridge for three days

    FG shutdowns Third Mainland Bridge for three days

    The Federal Government has again shutdown the Third Mainland Bridge for continuation of the ongoing repair works. This time the ever busy bridge was shut on the midnight of Christmas Day.

    The bridge will remain closed until midnight of December 28 as it is undergoing repairs.

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports that the Federal Government had earlier announced that the bridge will be shut for 72 hours to cast concrete on the expansion joints.

    Federal Controller of Works, Lagos, Olukayode Popoola while making the announcement said it is to prevent vibration of the bridge.

    “There is going to be a total closure of Third Mainland Bridge in order to allow for the casting of three number expansion joints on the Island Bound lane. The effective date of the closure will be from 12:00 midnight of 25th of December. So people will be allowed to use the Third Mainland Bridge to celebrate Christmas.’’

    “By the time the Christmas is winding down which is 12:00 midnight, we are going to close it, so that we will be able to cast the concrete on Saturday the 26th and on 27th we cast again. And we need about 72 hours for this concrete to set. Therefore, the opening will be on the 28th December midnight, that is 72-hour closure,” he said.

    Popoola explained that the full closure of the bridge is necessary because, “If we allow vehicles to be moving on one lane, there is going to be vibrations and the concrete will not set properly.”

    He also announced that there will be a partial closure of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway for 48 hours, beginning from Monday, December 28 to Tuesday, December 29, for the completion of some repairs.

    The Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos was partially shut on July 24 for rehabilitation works and a series of repairs.

    The repair expected to last six months was extended by one month due to the #EndSARS protests in Lagos extending the completion date from January 2021 to February.

    The thirdmainland bridge is the longest of the three bridges connecting Lagos Island to the Mainland.

  • FG announces new date for total closure of Third Mainland Bridge

    FG announces new date for total closure of Third Mainland Bridge

    The Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos will be totally shut for 72 hours from midnight Saturday, Federal Controller of Works, Olukayode Popoola said.

    The closure is to allow for casting of concrete on the expansion joints.

    Popoola said that the shutdown will last till midnight on Tuesday.

    Repair work on the bridge began late July and was to end in January.

    The deadline has now been shifted till February, because of the #EndSARS protest.

    Popoola said construction work had reached the stage for casting concrete on additional three expansion joints.

    “There is going to be total closure of Third Mainland Bridge in order to allow for the casting of three number expansion joints on the Island Bound lane

    ” The effective date of the closure will be from 12:00 midnight of 25th of December. So people will be allowed to use the Third Mainland Bridge to celebrate Christmas.

    “By the time the Christmas is winding down which is 12:00 midnight, we are going to close it so that we will be able to cast the concrete on Saturday the 26th and 27th we cast again.

    ” And we need about 72 hours for this concrete to set. Therefore, the opening will be on the 28th December midnight, that is 72-hour closure.

    “This is to prevent vibration of the bridge. If we allow vehicles to be moving on one lane, there is going to be vibrations and the concrete will not set properly,”he said.

    The controller said that all the alternative routes were in good condition and traffic regulatory agencies had been deployed to effectively divert and manage traffic to avert gridlock.

    He appealed to road users to cooperate with traffic regulatory agencies.

    Repairs on the bridge was initially divided into two phases of three months on each carriageway, starting with the Oworonsoki bound carriageway.

    The work dragged into four months.

    Traffic was partially diverted on a stretch of 3.5km where construction is ongoing between Adeniji Adeniji Ramp and Ebute Meta, while different time belts were allotted for traffic diversions on the bridge.

    The 11.8km bridge is the longest of the three bridges connecting Lagos Island to the Mainland.

    The bridge starts from Oworonshoki, which is linked to the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway and the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and ends at the Adeniji Adele Interchange on Lagos Island.

    Constructed in 1990, the bridge was adjudged as the longest in Africa until 1996 when the Oct. 6 Bridge in Cairo, Egypt was completed.

  • FG postpones shutdown of Third Mainland Bridge

    FG postpones shutdown of Third Mainland Bridge

    Mr Olukayode Popoola, the Federal Controller of Works Lagos, has lamented the disruptive activities of ‘Area Boys’ who sometimes open the closed section of the Third Mainland Bridge to traffic to endanger safety of motorists.

    The controller said on Saturday that their actions jeopardised safety of road users, adding that security had been beefed up to nip the problem in the bud.

    “Sometimes where we closed, Area Boys reopened to traffic especially when they notice law enforcement agents are not are not around.

    “We had to call the Police, the FRSC to intervene because the action of the Area Boys delayed construction works for some days because safety is of importance to everybody.

    “We are doing roads for human beings, so we have to be very careful. We cannot be breaking concrete when someone is driving pass. Supposing some of the element flies and breaks his head,’’ he queried.

    Popoola added that the planned two-day repairs shutdown of the Third Mainland Bridge had to be postponed because of the buildup to the Yuletide

    He said the construction works had reached the stage for casting concrete on additional three expansion joints, hence the need for total shutdown.

    The controller noted that the Federal Government had to postpone the closure because it was sensitive to the needs of citizens preparing for the festive season with increased human and vehicular traffic.

    He said that remarkable progress had been made and the next total closure was shifted till the holiday period to reduce hardship on road users.

    “On the Island bound lane where we are working now, the contractor is ready to cast another three expansion joints this weekend, but because of the festive period that we have a lot of vehicles on the road.

    “We were advised to leave it till next week maybe during the public holiday where we will do the total closure, then, we will be able to cast the three expansion joints.

    “That will be next week. So, Third Mainland Bridge work is progressing steadily,’’ he said.

    Popoola said that work on the surface of the bridge was over 70 per cent completed, but the entire project was 22 per cent completed with inclusion of construction underneath.

    He said that efforts were on to ensure the contractor completed ongoing replacement of expansion joints on the top of the bridge before the Feb. 22, 2021 delivery date.

    He added that, work could continue under the bridge even after it is reopened to traffic.

    “When we say 22 per cent completion, we are not talking of only expansion joints, there are other works that is going on under the bridge included.

    “If we are talking of only the surface, it has achieved more than 70 per cent completion. The contractor is working under the bridge on the abutment, the Pile Caps and Piers.

    “And it is all those works put together that makes us say we have achieved about 22 per cent completion but if it is only the surface, we have achieved over 70 per cent,’’ he said.

    He explained that the Abutment is where the bridge either starts or ends, where the bridge abuts all the load.

    The abutment where there are beams on both sides are the piers, while the Pile Cap is located underwater where all the Piers rest for support.

    The Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos, which was going through series of repairs, was partially shutdown on July 24 for another round of rehabilitation works.

    The repair expected to last six months was extended by one month due to the recent #EndSARS protests in Lagos extending the completion date from January 2021 to February.

    The construction was initially divided into two phases of three months on each carriageway, starting with the Oworonsoki bound carriageway whose completion dragged to four months.

    Traffic was partially diverted on a stretch of 3.5km where construction is ongoing between Adeniji Adeniji Ramp and Ebute Meta, while different time belts were allotted for traffic diversions on the bridge.

    The 11.8km bridge is the longest of the three bridges connecting Lagos Island to the Mainland.

    The bridge starts from Oworonshoki, which is linked to the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway and the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and ends at the Adeniji Adele Interchange on Lagos Island.

    Constructed in 1990, the bridge was adjudged as the longest in Africa until 1996 when the Oct. 6 Bridge in Cairo, Egypt was completed.

  • BREAKING: FG announces another two-day total closure of Third Mainland Bridge

    BREAKING: FG announces another two-day total closure of Third Mainland Bridge

    The Federal Government on Thursday announced a two-day total closure of the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos State for a concrete work on some sections.

    The Federal Controller of Works in the state, Mr Olukayode Popoola, in Lagos said that the closure would begin from midnight of Oct. 30 and end at midnight of Nov. 1.

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports that the federal government had similarly shutdown the Third Mainland Bridge for three days from Friday, 9th October, 2020 to midnight of Sunday, 11th October 2020.

    “We are planning to cast two number expansion joints, and we shall close the Third Mainland Bridge from midnight of Oct. 30 until midnight of Nov. 1,’’ he said.

    The controller said that there was the need to shut both bounds of the bridge – from Adeniji Adele to Adekunle – in addition to the closed bound of the bridge, to complete the work.

    According to him, the closure is to ensure that there is no vibration on the bridge during casting in-place of the newly-installed expansion joints.

    “This is to allow for the setting of the special concrete, which allows the concrete to achieve its required compressive strength,’’ Popoola said.

    He said that the Federal Government decided to close the bridge on a weekend to minimise the impact on vehicular traffic.

    According to him, adequate traffic managers will be deployed to control all the alternative routes.

    “We regret any inconveniences this two-day closure will cause,’’ Popoola said.

    The Third Mainland Bridge is going through a series of repair.

    The repair is expected to last for six months. It is divided into two phases of three months on each carriageway, starting with the Oworonsoki bound carriageway.

    The 11.8km bridge is the longest of the three bridges connecting Lagos Island to the mainland.

    The bridge starts from Oworonshoki, which is linked to the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway and the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and ends at the Adeniji Adele Interchange on Lagos Island.

    Constructed in 1990, the bridge was adjudged as the longest in Africa until 1996 when the Oct. 6 Bridge in Cairo was completed.

  • Third Mainland Bridge: Lagos shuts Adekunle-Adeniji axis for second phase repairs

    Third Mainland Bridge: Lagos shuts Adekunle-Adeniji axis for second phase repairs

    The Lagos State Government has announced total closure of the Adekunle to Adeniji section of the Third Mainland Bridge for the second time from midnight of Friday 30th October to Sunday 1st November, 2020.

    According to a Statement signed by the Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Frederic Oladeinde, the second phase closure of the repair works was necessary to prevent vibrations on the bridge during the casting-in-place of the newly installed expansion joints which in turn would allow the special concrete achieve its required compressive strength.

    The Commissioner had earlier explained that the casting of the expansion joints would be in two phases due to the number of expansion joints that would be casted and to effectively manage the attendant traffic, hence, repair works slated for weekends to minimize inconveniences that may arise from the total closure.

    Appreciating the patience exhibited by Lagosians from the commencement date of the project, Oladeinde hinted that the previous alternative routes remain the same for road users to utilize during the closure period, while LASTMA and other Traffic Management Agencies would be on ground to direct traffic for easy vehicular movement.

    The Commissioner also assured that the section of the bridge between Adekunle and Iyana–Oworo still remained open, as well as Ebute Metta outbound section into Iyana-Oworo.

    “The State Government is hereby appealing to residents of the State, especially motorists that ply these corridors to stay calm and cooperate with the interventions put in place in order to achieve the January 2021 deadline for the completion of the project,” he said.

  • Lagos Govt suggests alternative as FG totally shutdown Third Mainland Bridge

    Lagos Govt suggests alternative as FG totally shutdown Third Mainland Bridge

    The Lagos State Government has again appealed to the commuting public to embrace water transportation as a reliable alternative means of decongesting the roads, assuring that government will continue to prioritize safety on the waterways.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the Managing Director, Lagos Ferry Services (LAGFERRY), Mr. Abdoulbaq Ladi-Balogun made the appeal as the Federal Government announces a total shutdown of Third Mainland Bridge for three days.

    Speaking during a Greater Lagos Independence Boat Cruise organized by LAGFERRY to celebrate Nigeria’s 60th independence anniversary and showcase the State’s tourism potential on the waterways, Ladi-Balogun said, “We are seeing the administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu making huge investments and achieving a lot of transformation on the waterways.

    “We want investors and tourists to avail themselves of the progress we have made so far in the sector and the business model we are building. There is no State in Nigeria that can be like Lagos because we have the water, we have the culture and we have the people. We want to showcase the hospitality, tourism and other business potentials the waterways can bring to our economy in Nigeria. We are also doing this to promote our tourism as well as demonstrate that social events can also be held on water”.

    While reiterating the State Government’s commitment to prioritizing safety on the waterways and giving assurance that every aspect of LAGFERRY operations are safety inclined, Ladi-Balogun revealed that the Agency has not recorded any accident or mishap since its launch of commercial operations on February 4, 2020, by Mr. Governor.

    The Greater Lagos Independence Cruise, held in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Lagos State Waterways Authority and the Lagos State Safety Commission took off from the Five Cowries Terminal at Falomo-Ikoyi and had on board notable dignitaries, government functionaries and winners of LAGFERRY Independence WATERMANIA raffle draws with all participants adhering strictly to the COVID-19 safety protocols.

    TNG earlier reported the Federal Government had announced a total shutdown of Third Mainland Bridge for three days from midnight on Friday to midnight on Sunday to carry out special repair works on the 11.8km platform.

    The Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, Mr Olukayode Popoola in a statement said that the construction of the bridge had reached a stage where there should not be any form of movement or vibration on the bridge for concrete casting, hence the closure.