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Fashola Satisfied With Progress Of Repair Works On 3rd Mainland Bridge
As one-day total closure is observed today on 3rd Mainland

Aug 30, 2008 - The Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN) at the weekend described as satisfactory the progress of work on the 3rd Mainland Bridge which has been under partial closure since early this month as a result of repairs.

Governor Fashola, who spoke while inspecting the repair, works on the Bridge, also appealed to Lagos motorists to keep off the bridge today as the contractors carry out fortification work on the faulty sections of the bridge with concrete.

Today’s total closure of the Bridge, the Governor explained, was to enable the concrete poured on the faulty points to solidify as this would be impossible if there is vibrate on the bridge, adding that the closure would last until Monday morning when it would revert to the partial closure which has been on since August.

“What it means is that there will be no vehicular movement on the Bridge tomorrow (Today). All vehicles coming into Lagos will exit at Adekunle through Oyingbo while those moving out of Lagos will exit at Adeniji Adele”, Governor Fashola said.

The Governor, who described the progress of work on the bridge as satisfactory, commended Lagosians for their patience and understanding without which, according to him, it would have been difficult to control the traffic in the metropolis.

“This repair work was started on August 2 and it is expected to last for two months. So far so good, the work is going satisfactorily. All the technical details have been explained to me and they are going as stipulated”, the Governor said.

According to him, so many useful lessons have been learnt since the repair works started, adding that the most important of them was that it had revealed clearly the desire of Lagosians to have an improved standard of life.

“The second lesson is that no country can make progress or build itself with traffic congestion. It has also revealed that we have not been able to use all the roads that we have. We have not fully utilized all our roads”, the Governor said citing the Agege Motor Road which he said would have provided an easy and short access route from the Murtala Mohammed Airport to Mushin and Lagos Island but because of which closure by traders all motorists from Ikeja are forced to go through Ikorodu Road.

Expressing the determination of his administration to free all the roads in the city from congestion, Governor Fashola frowned at the practice of closing up the streets by residents pointing out that this has affected the interconnectivity of the roads in the city’

“We know the reason for this practice but if after using this method for many years and it is not working, I think it is time to try other methods”, the Governor said adding that the State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development was working out an approach to the issue.

“The Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development is working on it. We will soon meet with Resident Associations to find a way out of the problem”, he said.

Earlier, the Project Director of Porini Prono, the company handling the repairs, Mr. Sergio Clemente, who conducted the Governor round the sites, explained that the company was working on two of the for faulty points at the moment and would do the casting today while the other two points were also being prepared for casting which he said would be concluded within two weeks.

Accompanying the Governor on the inspection tour were his Special Adviser on Transportation Mr. Kayode Opeifa, Federal Road Safety Corps Sector Commander, Lagos, Commander Kayode Olagunju and the Acting Controller of Works Federal Ministry of Transportation, Lagos, Engineer Godwin Eke.