By KINGSLEY ADEGBOYE
The Federal Government Tuesday formally reopened the Third Mainland Bridge barely three months after it was partially closed for intensive repair works at eight expansion joints on both sides of the longest bridge in Africa. It is11.8 kilometre-long. Sources said the repair gulped about N1.5 billion.
Minister of Works, Mike Onolememen, an architect, in his address at the official reopening of the ever busy bridge noted that the federal government had kept faith with the promise that the repair works that commenced on August 10, 2012 would be completed about November 6, 2012, as it had come to pass.
Onolememen added that not only were the repair works completed about 10 days ahead of schedule, they were also completed at the awarded contract sum without variation.
He said at the commencement of the repairs on behalf of the federal government that everything possible would be done to cushion the frustration and inconveniences that would be caused to road users due to the partial closure of the bridge, pledging to complete the project ahead of schedule.
*Third Mainland Bridge
According to the Minister, “the project employed specialised technology which is not readily available in the country.
“The materials utilized, hydro-demolition machine, as well as technical expertise to execute the works were all imported.
“With the completion of the repair works on the three joints on the Lagos Island bound carriageway and five expansion joints on the Oworonshoki bound carriageway, the contract for the repair of the Third Mainland Bridge has been successfully completed. “The works have been completed before the scheduled date of November 6, 2012”, Onolememen stated.
The longest bridge linking Lagos Island with the Mainland was partially closed to traffic on Sunday 8 July, 2012 while repair works commenced on it on Monday, 9 July, 2012.
Initially, commercial activities were almost paralysed at Idumota and many other parts of Lagos Island as the closure of the bridge created a lot of hardship for commuters and motorists traveling from the Mainland to the Island.
At least 700 officers of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, were deployed to areas close to the bridge to ameliorate the plight of motorists and commuters.
Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Kayode Opeifa, after yesterday’s re-opening said the repair was completed and the bridge was ready for use since Sunday.
Speaking further on the project, the Minister explained that the dynamic investigation report which was completed and submitted to his ministry indicated that one expansion joint with vertical gaps greater than 10 mm at Axis 10-11, 13-14, 16-17 and 25-26 along the Lagos bound carriageway were in very critical state and required immediate repairs, pointed out that seven joints at Axis 55-56, 57-58 and 64-1along the Lagos bound carriageway and 13-14, 22-23, 34-35 and 43-44 along Oworonshoki bound carriageway had vertical gaps between 4-10 mm which on border line.
He further noted that 16 joints on the inbound and 19 joints on the outbound carriageways equally required regular cleaning, stressing that FERMA would be directed to add this to their maintenance programme. He said joints at Axes 13-14, 19-20, 16-17 and 25-26 were restored in an earlier contract executed in 2006 by the ministry using the same contractor.
The minister who stated that traffic diversion plans and programmes had been implemented with the relevant stakeholders to minimise traffic congestion and inconveniences to the populace during the period of partial closure of the bridge from July 6 to October 30, 2012, added that actual demolition of sections of the bridge deck affected at Axis 64-1 for the restoration of the joints had been completed and reinstated.
SOURCE: 30 October 2012.
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