Ahead of the planned partial closure of the third mainland bridge beginning from Friday, July 24, the Lagos state Commissioner for Transportation, Frederic Oladeinde has explained why the maintenance works was not carried out during the COVID-19 lockdown period.
Read Also: FG To Shut Third Mainland Bridge For Six Months
In an interview with TVC on Monday July 20, Oladeinde said;
When we had COVID, nobody understood it and also remember that the people we were sending to fix the road are also human beings so we needed to understand the evolution of COVID and how we would then structure the guidelines around it.
So it was important to keep everybody away because our number one priority is to make sure everybody is safe and that we do not lose anybody.
He added;
Secondly, the lockdown period was only a month and this maintenance is about six months so irrespective we would have still gone pass the lockdown and the people would have still been affected.
Oladeinde noted that efforts are being made to make alternative routes motorable.
The commissioner had on Friday announced that provision of the alternative routes are in line with the state government’s agenda of ensuring free flow of traffic at all times during the period of closure.
Alternative roads are Iddo inwards Carter Bridge Market Road inwards Herbert Macaulay Road and Herbert Macaulay Road by Abeokuta Street as well as Herbert Macaulay by Cemetery and Apapa Road inwards Oyingbo.
The second option that motorists are advised to take is Bonny Camp to Independence Bridge to Marina Bridge through Apongbon to Eko Bridge, Ijora Olopa, Iddo and Oyingbo.
Oladeinde pointed out that the other option for motorists is the Oshodi/Charity through Agege Motor Road to access Cappa to link Ilupeju by pass or Mushin to get to Town Planning Way to link Ikorodu Road.
The motorists could also access Moshalasi/Idi-Oro from Mushin to access Funsho Williams Avenue and connect Eko Bridge to get to Apongbon or use Empire Road to access Yaba to link Oyingbo-Iddo axis.
He however disclosed that motorists coming from the International Airport to Lagos are advised to use Oshodi-Oke to get to Town Planning Way to link Ikorodu road.
The 11km bridge which links the mainland and the Island, will be partially closed for repairs beginning from July 24 till January 2021.
