Lagos residents and commuters plying the ever-busy bridge linking Oshodi-Apapa Expressway to the Airport Road have expressed displeasure over the long delay in reopening the bridge.
The bridge, which was closed on January 10 following a diesel tanker explosion which occurred under it on January 7, has not been re-opened for vehicular activities. It was closed because one of the piers – pillars of the bridge – was badly burnt.
It was gathered that the state government, through the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), in conjunction with the Federal Ministry of Works, shut the flyover pending determination of integrity test on the safety condition of the bridge.
The bridge, which was closed from the Toyota end of the expressway since January, could only be accessed by motorbike.
A bus driver plying the route, Ola, lamented at the difficulties he and other commercial vehicles pass through daily plying the route.
“For the past seven months this route has become a nightmare. We have to take a longer route, yet, the transport fare has not increased because passengers will simply not pay. Sadly, there is no sign the bridge will be opened soon,” he said.
A commuter, Mr Dimeji Rashidi, urged the government to reopen the bridge and fix any problem delaying its re-opening.
Although some motorists defied traffic officials by plying one-way connecting the bridge that links Airport Road to Oshodi in the past, the huge fines they were made to pay by LASTMA officials and traffic police have since reduced the practice.
Explaining the extent of damage, the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos State, Mr Olukayode Popoola, said: “About 200 meters of the deck of the flyover was burnt and its pier badly damaged along with the pavement being reconstructed, raising fears of the structural instability of the bridge. Physically, a lot of damage has been done to this pier of the bridge. The integrity is already compromised.”
In May, the Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor, on Works and Infrastructure, Mrs Aramide Adeyoye, disclosed that lack of funds was the factor delaying the repairs of the flyover.
As at the time of filing this report, the state ministry of transportation could not be reached to ascertain when the bridge would be opened.
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