TheNewsGuru

Tag: Third Mainland Bridge

  • FG to resume Third Mainland Bridge repairs

    FG to resume Third Mainland Bridge repairs

    The Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, Mr Olukayode Popoola, on Monday said consultations were on for another phase of repair works to begin on the Third Mainland Bridge.

    Popoola told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the consultations were towards evolving perfect traffic management architecture.

    “We want to do maintenance work on Third Mainland Bridge very soon. Most likely on the 24th. We may close it from 24th of July.

    “We are still working out the modalities and when we perfect the traffic management plan we will move to site.

    “Everything being expected for the repairs of the bridge arrived the country that is why we want to start the repairs now,’’ he said.

    NAN reports that the bridge which has gone through series of rehabilitation works was last shut in August 2018 for a three days investigative maintenance check.

    Thereafter, some components needed for completion of repairs were sourced abroad because they were not available locally.

    The 11.8km Third Mainland Bridge is the longest of 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.

    It was constructed in 1990 and was the longest in Africa until 1996 when The 6th October Bridge in Cairo was completed.

  • Third Mainland Bridge is safe for use – Fashola

    The Minister of Power Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola has certified the third mainland bridge safe for use.

    The minister in a statement in Abuja on Sunday by the ministry stated that the expansion joint shown in a social media video clip was one of those scheduled for change during repairs to the bridge.

    He also added that the repairs of the bad portion of the Bridge would commence soon.

    The statement reads: “The General Public is hereby informed that the expansion joint shown in a Facebook video clip, is one of those slated for change during repairs to the Third Mainland Bridge which will commence soon.

    “It is still functioning and our engineers and consultants have advised that it does not pose any structural danger to the bridge and it is safe to use.

    “Commuters and Lagos residents will recall that the Third Mainland Bridge was shut down for a 3-day Investigative Maintenance in August 2018. Tests done on the expansion joints then – called static and dynamic load tests – were to check functionality. A number of expansion joints were identified for replacement then.”

    It continues: “More recently, in March this year, underwater confirmatory tests preceding the repair works to be done on the bridge, were carried out on the piles to determine if there is further deterioration or not on the piles from that done in 2013.

    “However, all the tests done preparatory to closure of the Bridge to commence comprehensive Maintenance works indicate that the integrity of the Bridge is intact.

    “Therefore the third mainland bridge is safe for use, and people should desist from spreading or sharing false information about the bridge on social media platforms.”

    On the nature of the repairs, he said: “The expansion joints to be replaced are part of a regular bridge maintenance programme that has been neglected for decades which the President Muhammadu Buhari administration is now addressing frontally on many bridges nationwide.

    “Such maintenance works include resurfacing of the bridge, along with several others, which this administration is also undertaking as the bridge users will attest to a better driving surface.”

  • Maintenance Test: LASG to shut Third Mainland Bridge for four days

    Maintenance Test: LASG to shut Third Mainland Bridge for four days

    The Lagos State Government has said the Third Mainland Bridge will be temporarily shut for four days starting from midnight of August 23 to midnight of August 26, 2018.

    The government explained that the measure was to make it easy for Investigative Maintenance Test to be carried out on the bridge.

    The Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Mr Ade Akinsanya, in a statement on Sunday, said the decision was taken after due consultation with the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing.

    He said, “The four-day closure will enable contractors to assess the true state of the bridge after which works would commence by the end of the year or early in 2019.”

    Recall that the Federal Government had earlier announced its plan to shut the bridge in July, but shelved it after consultation with the state government and other stakeholders.

    Justifying the need for the closure, the commissioner said there had not been a serious maintenance work on the bridge.

    Akinsanya said, “The Third Mainland Bridge was opened about 30 years ago by the then military government and it has had haphazard maintenance and repairs in the past. The present Federal Government is committed to correcting it by carrying out proper and continuous maintenance and repairs on it.”

    The state government appealed for the cooperation of all motorists and residents, advising them to minimise non-essential travel and movements during the four-day closure.

    Akinsanya said all traffic management agencies had been mandated to ensure smooth flow of traffic on the alternative roads.

     

  • Repairs: FG postpones closure of Third Mainland Bridge, announces new date

    Repairs: FG postpones closure of Third Mainland Bridge, announces new date

    The proposed three-day closure of the Third Mainland Bridge for Investigative Maintenance Test earlier scheduled to last from July 27 to July 30 has been shifted to August 24 to 26.

    The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, said on Tuesday that the decision was taken after consultations with the Lagos State Government and other relevant stakeholders.

    Fashola said the date shift was done “in order to give succour and relief to the people of Lagos State and other inter-state road users and support the efforts of the State Government.”

    The Minister said he had directed the immediate deployment of trucks to the Apapa trailer park under construction which could accommodate about 300 trucks as part of efforts to decongest the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway.

    He said this was a short term measure while construction works for the shoreline protection of the truck park continued.

    “Also, the on-going palliative work on the sections of the Apapa-Oshodi Road, the on-going construction of the road leading to the Apapa Port from Ijora will soon be completed.

    “The main exit route through Tincan – Oshodi – Oworonshoki is under procurement for award. When completed, the project will enable free flow of traffic in the axis.

    “Also following the visit of the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, to Lagos in connection with the Apapa Port Gridlock, the Federal Government has said, as a short term measure, a call up system in the control of truck movement would be introduced,” he said.

    He added that a long term digital and ICT based system would be developed and deployed to replace the current manual operations.

    The Association of Truck Owners had agreed to manage the manual system with their members, said Fashola in a statement by Mr Hakeem Bello, his Special Adviser on communication.

    The 11.8 km bridge, the longest in Nigeria, was inaugurated by the Federal Government in 1990.

    The Federal Executive Council last May approved a total of N99.01 billion for repair and maintenance of roads and bridges nationwide with the Third Mainland expected to gulp about N18.874 billion.

    On July 11, the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing announced that the bridge would be closed for three days to carry out tests toward repairing the facility.

    According to the ministry, the closure was to allow contractors to complete dynamic tests before commencement of repairs.

  • Why we are shutting Third Mainland Bridge for three days – FG

    Why we are shutting Third Mainland Bridge for three days – FG

    The Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos will be closed to traffic for three days from July 27, 2018, to assess the condition of the bridge, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, has said.

    A statement on Monday said Fashola, spoke as guest on the Channels Television breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily, in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

    The minister reportedly said the closure was necessary in order to ascertain whether there had been any material deterioration between the period the first procurement for maintenance of the bridge was approved and now, adding that the three days would be used to examine the bridge to be sure that there had been no material deterioration beyond what was procured.

    He said, “The investigation would have been carried out earlier but the need to reduce the inconveniences that would accompany the closure compelled government to shift the time to a more convenient period when children would be on vacation and when fewer vehicles were likely to be on the bridge.”

    The minister said it was only after the assessment of the amount of maintenance work involved that government engineers and contractors would lay out the plan of work.

    “I think it is later in the year or early next year that the repairs will start,” Fashola added.

  • 27-month project: Third Mainland Bridge to be shut on July 27

    27-month project: Third Mainland Bridge to be shut on July 27

    The Federal Controller of Works, Lagos, Mr. Adedamola Kuti, on Wednesday in Lagos said that the emergency rehabilitation/maintenance of the Third Mainland Bridge project would begin on July 27.

    Kuti disclosed this at a stakeholders’ meeting at the Ministry of Works office in Lagos.

    He said that the repair works on the bridge would be staggered over a period of 27 months and would be handled by Borini Prono Construction Company.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the meeting was convened by the ministry for stakeholders to brainstorm on effective traffic diversion and management to prevent gridlocks during the period.

    Some of the stakeholders at the event include: NUPENG, National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO), Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) and the police.

    He said that the bridge would be totally shut to traffic on the first three days for the contractor to carry out various tests on it.

    He said that subsequent closures would be on partial basis.

    “A Dynamic Test on Bridge Expansion Joints on Third Mainland Bridge is to be carried out between Friday, July 27, 2018 and Sunday, July 29, 2018 and it has been done in such a way that it will have minimum impact on road users.

    “Consequently, the Third Mainland Bridge will be closed to traffic by 12.00 midnight of Thursday 26th July, 2018 and be opened by 12.00 midnight Sunday 29th July, 2018.

    “Alternative routes will be plied during this period and traffic control will be in place to direct and help traffic movement.

    “We regret any inconvenience this might cause road users as this closure is inevitable,’’ he said.

    He appealed for the patience of road users and promised that all alternative routes would be repaired to make them smooth for easy access.

    Also, the Lagos State Sector Commander of the Federal Roads Safety Corps, (FRSC), Mr Hyginus Omeje, appealed to motorists to use mass transportation facilities during repair works on the Third Mainland Bridge.

    Omeje told journalists that the vehicular occupancy ratio in Lagos was 1:1 which meant that there was an average of one driver per vehicle that plied the road hence, the usual heavy traffic.

    He said that all the traffic regulatory and law enforcement agencies at the event were going to work in synergy to prevent gridlock.

    “Instead of everybody coming out with their vehicles within this period, can we do the park-and-ride option which we have been advocating to really help us to ease off traffic in Lagos,’’ he said.

    He also appealed to the media to increase its awareness campaign on the dangers of drivers of articulated vehicles parking on the roads and bridges.

    They should change their attitudes toward indiscriminate parking of trucks on the roads and bridges, Omeje said.

    NAN

  • Third Mainland Bridge to be closed for repairs

    Third Mainland Bridge to be closed for repairs

    The Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, Mr Adedamola Kuti, said on Tuesday that consultations had begun for the closure of the Third Mainland Bridge for repairs.

    Kuti told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the ministry of works was going to hold a meeting with stakeholders tomorrow to discuss how to manage traffic during the repairs.

    He, however, did not specify the exact date the bridge would be closed to traffic or how long the repairs would last.

    According to him, stakeholders attending the meeting to discuss the repairs include traffic regulatory agencies, transport unions, truck owners and drivers’ unions, law enforcement agents, among others.

    “The Federal Executive Council has approved the maintenance work on the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos State.

    “The project has taken off already and in carrying out the work, we may at certain times be shutting down the bridge for maintenance.

    “At the moment we may begin with tests on the bridge, so, we may shut it by 12 midnight on Thursday and carry out tests and some repairs and open it to traffic by midnight on Sunday.’’

    He said that six other damaged bridges across the state were already undergoing maintenance and rehabilitation.

    “We have contracts on maintenance of some of the bridges in Lagos.

    “We are completing maintenance work on the expansion joints on the Coconut Bridge.

    “We expecting the contractor to start work on the Independence Bridge in Lagos.

    “There is repair work going on currently on the Apapa Bridge, that is, Ijora/Leventis Bridge.

    “Maintenance work is ongoing on the Ijora-7up Bridge, we are also changing the expansion joints.

    “On the bridge around the National Stadium area, we are putting covers to all the stolen manholes, we are replacing the steel covers from stadium to Costain,” he said.

    The controller said that some tests had been carried out on the Otedola Bridge, whose surface was recently burnt during a tanker fire.

    Kuti said that the tests revealed that the bridge was safe for use and that the contractors would soon attend to the bridge.

    NAN

  • Heavy traffic on Third Mainland as LASEMA conducts simulation exercise

    The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency( LASEMA) has advised motorists to avoid the Third Mainland bridge following a gridlock which is as a result of a live simulation exercise presently being conducted by the agency.

    The exercise is conducted in collaboration with stakeholders tagged “Operation Oko Jososa”, which is opposite the Unilag Waterfront, inward Lagos Island.

    In a statement by LASEMA Public Affairs Unit, Adebayo Kehinde, the exercise is a simulation of multiple road accidents involving a luxurious bus and five other vehicles one of which plunged into the Lagos Lagoon.

    The aim is to sharpen synergy, foster collaboration, improve the level of preparedness and increase the response capability of stakeholders in the management of multiple casualty incidents in along the 3rd Mainland Bridge which more often than not witnesses this kind of event.

    Those involved are men of the LASEMA Response Unit (LRU), Lagos State Fire Service, Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS) State Environmental Health and Monitoring Unit (SEHMU ), Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Lagos State Neighborhood Safety Corps, Lagos State Waterway Authority (LASWA), Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Marine Police National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Nigerian Security & Civil Defence Corp and Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).

    The Lagos State Government, however, advised motorists and Lagosians at large not to panic as this exercise is only alive simulation exercise to ascertain the capability, response time and coordination among emergency response which requires coordinated Multi-Agency response.

  • [Photos] LASEMA rescues man stucked in mud for 24hrs on Third Mainland Bridge

    The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) on Saturday rescued a yet to be identified man (destitute) who was said to have been stucked in the mud for over 24 hours at the sandfill spot of the Third Mainland Bridge inward Iyana Oworo.

    According to the General Manager of the Agency, Mr. Tiamiyu Savage, the LASEMA Response Team received a distress call at about 9.09 am via the CRM on Saturday (today).

    This eased up the rapid activation of the Agency’s Response Team to the scene of incident with other responders such as the Lagos State Fire Service and the Lagos State Ambulance Services.


    The yet to be identified victim was rescued from the mud by the use of the Agency’s Crane whose boom was projected and extended to the muddy sand filled area wherein the victim was stucked and subsequently rescued by the Agency’s official who accompanied the crane.

    He (the victim) has since been moved to Gbagada General Hospital for proper medical treatment.

  • Why I attempted suicide on Third Mainland Bridge – 58year old rescued victim

    Why I attempted suicide on Third Mainland Bridge – 58year old rescued victim

    A 58-year-old identified as Taiwo Titilayo Momoh, who was rescued from jumping into the Third Mainland Bridge has explained why she attempted suicide.

    TheNewsGuru.com recalls that the Lagos State Police Command on Friday, March 23 rescued Momoh as she attempted to jump into the lagoon from the Third Mainland Bridge.

    The 58-year-old textile dealer in Lagos Island disclosed that she was pushed to committing suicide in order to put an end to her frustrations and sleepless nights.

    She stated that her problem started sometime in 2015, when a Bureau De Change dealer ran away with her N18.7 million she wanted to change to pay her foreign creditors.

    ” I am owing three Swiss textile dealers.

    “My problem started in 2015, when a Bureau De Change dealer ran away with my N18.7 million while trying to change to pay some foreign creditors.

    “My condition became compounded when robbers invaded my shop in Lagos Island and took away most of the textiles that was left.”

    TheNewsGuru.com reports after successfully rescuing Momoh, the Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni noted that committing suicide was an offence under the law but that the police would talk from committing suicide.