The Director, Highways, Bridges and Designs in the Federal Ministry of Works, Adetokunbo Sogbesan, said on Saturday in Lagos said that the Carter Bridge is structurally okay and safe for use.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that a portion of the outer walls of the bridge outbound Iddo link Road is dented.
Sogbesan told journalists during an inspection of the bridge that some tests had been conducted and that the bridge is structurally okay and safe for use.
He said vehicles carrying excess load beyond the headwall of the bridge had knocked off outer slabs meant to beautify the bridge.
He explained that the beams of the bridge had hollows which were covered by slabs but that vehicles carrying loads beyond their headroom pulled off some outer covering of the bridge.
Sogbesan said: “We are here to allay the fears of Lagosians about the Carter Bridge.
“This bridge was commissioned in July 1958, that is, over 60 years ago.
“And it was constructed by Borini Prono Nigeria Limited.
“The method of construction used is that the beams have hollows.
“The hollows are spaces.
“The structurally stability of the bridge both longitudinal and diagonal beams are structurally okay but for aesthetics measures the beams were covered with reinforced walls.
“It is the walls that are broken.
“We have been here before to examine and inspect the bridge and we are to confirm that structurally, the bridge is okay.”
Sogbesan also said barricades would be put on Iddo link road where the problem occurred to ensure that only cars and buses use the road to avert damage to the bridge.
According to the director, the link road was originally built by Lagos State Government to allow cars and buses pass through the Third Mainland and Carter bridges to the Island.
Sogbesan warned all illegal occupants encroaching under the bridge to quit, saying they will soon be evacuated.
He said: “All illegal occupants under this bridge must leave.
“The abuse on this bridge to stop.
“We will start enforcement immediately, we would issue notices and we are going to enforce it.
“We are going to evict every illegal occupant under the bridge.
“We don’t want abuses on the bridges again.
“We must move them out and we are going to collaborate with Lagos State.”
Gainrranco Albertazzi, Joint Managing Director, Borini Prono, who confirmed that the bridge was constructed by the firm in 1958, said the Carter bridge was not damaged.
Albetazzi said: “It is only the damage done by a vehicle carrying some loads that should not have passed through the bridge, but the main beam is structurally intact.
“What has been touched is the cover which is of a small thickness which is not too important.
“More so, this first beam is only carrying the pedestrian lane, it is not carrying any vehicular traffic.”
He said there was no cause for alarm as the bridge’s slab could easily be replaced.
He stressed the need to speed up the construction of the barricades to stop further damage beyond the slabs.
The Federal Controller of Works, Lagos State, Adedamola Kuti, said a task force was being set up to dislodge illegal occupants under all the bridges in Lagos.
Kuti said: “We are going to evict illegal occupants of our infrastructure.”
Third Mainland bridge
The Third Mainland Bridge was reopened on Sunday by 5:00 pm, the Lagos State government has said.
The government revealed this in a statement on Sunday by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transportation, Dr Taiwo Salaam.
The announcement comes three days after the bridge was temporarily closed for Investigative Maintenance Test.
The state government explained that the decision to reopen the bridge earlier than announced followed the completion of the test by engineers.
It thanked motorists and residents for their cooperation and patience while the closure lasted.
The Federal Government had temporarily shut the bridge for the Investigative Maintenance Test with the closure initially scheduled to last from midnight of Thursday last week to midnight of Sunday.
The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, and officials of relevant state government agencies in the state were on the ground on Thursday to supervise the closure of the bridge.
Following the closure, the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) deployed 650 personnel to all alternative routes to the Third Mainland Bridge, to ensure the free flow of traffic on the roads.
LASTMA’s General Manager, Mr Olawale Musa, had said that the agency was aware of the volume of traffic on the Third Mainland Bridge and the consequences of diverting such huge traffic on the alternative routes during the period.
He had asked the officers on duty to show compassion to motorists, especially those that were unfamiliar with the alternative routes and other roads in the metropolis.
Mr Musa also urged motorists and commuters to be patient and cooperative with the traffic officers, to ensure a free flow of traffic on all alternative routes during the closure.