“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 on 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 for use”.
Recall that the Third Mainland Bridge was shut down for a 3-day Investigative Maintenance in August 2018 and from the tests done on the expansion joints then, a number of expansion joints were identified for replacement.
The Ministry explains that 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.
The question is why the silence from the ministry and the Lagos State government several months after the maintenance test last year, that it now had to take the circulation of videos and photographs querying the safety of the bridge for them to open their mouths?
It is true that the 3rd Mainland Bridge was temporarily closed for Investigative Maintenance Test from Thursday 23rd to Sunday 26th August last year. The bridge was to be opened midnight of 26th August but was opened about 7 hours earlier at 5pm on that day because according to a statement by Dr Taiwo Salaam, Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Transportation, “the decision to reopen the bridge earlier than announced followed the completion of the test by engineers”.
The Government had thanked motorists and residents for their cooperation and patience, while the bridge was closed.
Motorists had no choice but be patient in spite of the traffic chaos they had to go through during the four days because 3rd Mainland Bridge serves as a huge conveyor belt for motorists who commute daily between Lagos Mainland and Island.
After the closure occasioned by the maintenance test, there have been no major response from the authorities to tell citizens the outcome and what will be done, how and when. Instead, it has taken someone to raise alarm again, just like in early 2018, about vibrations and safety of commuters on the bridge.
The government has now confirmed that the expansion joints to be replaced are part of a regular bridge maintenance programme.
But what is causing the delay in replacing the joints? It is not acceptable anymore to tell us that the replacement “has been neglected for decades, which the President Muhammadu Buhari administration is now addressing frontally, on many bridges nationwide”, as the ministry has said.
The blame game is over. All the citizens want to see is action that is geared to safeguarding their lives. We all know that Nigerian response to emergencies is not the best so we do not want an emergency situation that will arise from a collapsed bridge.
The Works Ministry also said ‘repairs will commence soon’. When is soon?
It is good to hear from the ministry too, that maintenance works that will be done on the bridge will “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” because the half-hearted resurfacing done in recent times have more or less created more bumps and the surface is uneven in many parts.
Many Lagosians would like to be told when the follow up repair or replacement of faulty joints will be done. It would not be funny if the situation becomes dire and there would then be need for urgent measures which will only give residents short notice before bridge closure for repairs to be carried out.
When there is enough notice, it will be a win-win situation for both the government and road users who can plan their movements well in advance.
It may be possible for some workers to schedule their leave or vacation for the repair period so that they would not need to use the bridge during the period. In fact, government can actually prevail on employers that can afford to, to let their staff take their leave and stay home to reduce the number of commuters and the traffic chaos that everybody on the road would cause.
Can this be considered or will our usual fire brigade style be the order of the day? Is the fund for the repair available or does the government have to wait for the National Assembly and 2019 budget which is still in limbo?
Lots of questions!
The 11.8 kilometres Third Mainland Bridge – the second longest bridge in Africa after the 6th October Bridge in Cairo, Egypt – is the longest of the three bridges connecting Lagos Island to the Mainland.
Carter Bridge which connects from Idumota on the Island to Iddo on the Mainland was the first to be built, followed by Eko Bridge from Apongbon to Surulere.
Eko bridge is the one on which the ‘occupy Lagos’ articulated vehicles have built a permanent home, not minding the stress on the bridge and the authorities seem helpless to the invasion.
Image Credit: The News, Channels tv
Ogie Eboigbe, veteran journalist, broadcaster and public affairs specialist writes and analyses current and historical issues with a ‘wise pen’.
