The Federal Ministry of Works on Wednesday shut down the Apapa-bound lane of the beginning of Marine Bridge in Lagos, damaged by vandals, for safety of the public.
A team of engineers from Buildwell Plants and Equipment Industries Ltd used crash barriers to barricade the damaged portion of the deck on pile bridge.
A deck on pile is a bridge that does not have piers.
While the firm, contractors handling, Eko and Marine Bridge projects, did that, a combined team of traffic regulatory agencies managed traffic around the diversion.
The Police also supported the team.
Mrs Olukorede Keisha, Assistant Director in charge of Federal Highways in Lagos State, upon arrival and re-evaluation of the infrastructure, ordered total shutdown of the portion.
Keisha said that the service lane of the deck on pile bridge was damaged and caved in due to activities of vandals.
She said investigation revealed that the vandals had set fire underneath the bridge to gain access to iron rods and other steel components under the bridge to be able to cut them off.
She said because the steel components of the bridge had been removed and stolen by the vandals, it caved in.
She said thorough assessment revealed urgent need to close the bridge to avert risk to motorists and other road users.
“On inspection, we discovered that the place was set on fire to expose the reinforcement for them to cut it off and that is what they have done.
“And the concrete alone without the tension cannot cope with the pressure. It needs to be assisted with reinforcement. Once reinforcement is taken away, concrete alone cannot do the job, hence the collapse.
“For overriding public safety, there is need to shut it down immidiately.
“We have looked at it, the contractor has critically assessed the situation. So, we are going back to the drawing board to evaluate it and look at the possible quick way to resolve it.
“But meanwhile, we are going to close this and divert traffic to alternative routes,” she said.
Keisha, who arrived the scene at about 3.03 p.m. with a team of engineers, engaged the head of the LASTMA and FRSC teams on an urgent traffic architecture for the closure and diversion of vehicles.
She said that traffic would be diverted through Costain and the Lagos Island-bound portion of the Marine Bridge as alternative routes.
Similarly, the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, in a Press Statement signed by his Special Adviser on Communications, Mr. Hakeem Bello, identified the failed section as the Ijora-Olopa inward Ijora-Oloye–Apapa.
According to the statement, roads leading directly to the Bridge such as Costain inward Eko Bridge and Carter Bridge descent inward Ijora Oloye have, as a result, been closed to traffic from last night.
“From Eko Bridge motorists should take IGANMU/ SIFAX to Ijora Oloye or Apapa,
“From Iddo to Ijora-Oloye/ Apapa; traffic will be diverted at the intersection underpass at Ijora Olopa on contraflow, and reconnected at the U-Turn to Ijora-Oloye or Apapa.”
It would be recalled that the Minister has on several occasions asked illegal squatters occupying Lagos under-bridges to quit as fire incidents and other illegal activities underneath such bridges often result in extensive damage of the vital infrastructure constructed with the nation’s scarce resources.
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