Kunle Adelabu
-Residents raise concern over alleged vandal of Third Mainland Bridge’s pile caps
The aspirant of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), for the Ikorodu Constituency I , in the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr Adekunle Razaq Aderibigbe (ARA), has called the attention of both the state and the federal governments to state of bridges in Lagos.
He said that the bridges, which were constructed to ease traffic in the state, are in serious state of concern to residents.
The young politician made his views known on THE IMPACT platform on Wednesday morning, while reacting to alleged chiseling of the Third Mainland Bridge pile caps by vandals, an issue initiated by Prince Adetope Kosoko, another member of the platform.
‘’There have been traffic situations in the mega state, that have been left unresolved or not being managed effectively. It is not enough for the law enforcement to be looking for traffic offenders when indeed, if the road network system is smooth and traffic flowing as expected … sanity on the road will improve naturally’’, he said.
‘’Some of the major roads that require urgent attention of the government are:
‘’Eko Bridge – It is a lifestyle in Lagos that traffic flows from Mainland to the Island in the morning, and the other way round in the evening, either for work, appointments or trade. The road network to the same Island has: Carter Bridge, Eko Bridge and Third-Mainland Bridge’’, he said.
‘’The Second-Mainland Bridge (Eko Bridge) has been closed to vehicle traffic due to fire inferno at Apongbon end of the bridge, since 23rd March, 2022. As a critical infrastructure in a populous state where most businesses are carried out in the country, this closure has taken too long as it has created unnecessary woes for the road users, investors and the residents.
‘’It is worthy to note that the said bridge had been presented at different times to be completed in December 2022 and May 2023 … With the new administration, the public can only wait for another hopeful date for the reopening as the suffering continues.
‘’The Third-Mainland Bridge, with the diversion of traffic and pressure to it from Eko Bridge, being the longest and most accessible … there have been huge concerns about its capacity and safety status. There is a recent picture of the bridge taken which shows its underneath being chiseled out by vandals. Nobody prays for any of the roads or bridges to fail, but this safety concerns and how we manage the state infrastructures are considered in Risk Management, not only for locals but also the international community and investors.
On Yaba and Oyingbo Bypass Bridges, Aderibigbe said:
‘’These two bridges and several other critical infrastructures have been in the PIPELINES for too long. We understand the fact that these projects are key to the state’s Multi-modal transport system, but the 3-month closure since 2021, has been taken too far. Many had been caught up in traffic created, leading to health issues and loss of assets as some got robbed. Unfortunately, there has been no provisions or insurance by the state for such losses’’.
The former NNPP aspirant did not just call the attentions of governments to these critical road networks, but also appealled for urgent fixing of the roads, presence of security personnel on them and installation of road lights.
‘’As an appeal, it will be a great need for the residents to know when these road network impediments or issues will be addressed and completed’’, he said.
‘’It will also be appreciated if the presence of the security operatives are felt on the major roads, especially where traffic is stationed as robbers continue to take advantage of the absence of security.
‘’Resurrection of the Light-up Lagos project should be optimally managed to aid neighbourhood watch by the communities as well as the CCTV system.
‘’Kudos to LAWMA and the state for cleaning of the roads but maintenance of the gardens and roadside will definitely give the state a facelift for more Foreign Direct Investment’’, he added.
Meanwhile, some residents regarded the opening on the piles to impacts of water and other factors.
‘’Are you sure of this? I doubt the chiseling o. I Think it is more of the impact of the water on the concrete beam of the bridge’’, Bosun, an aide to Sen. Tokunbo Abiru, reacted to the allegation of chiseling of the Third Mainland Bridge pile caps.
Another participant, Deacon Ohi Obadan, also responding, said:
‘’I don’t think it is the Third Mainland Bridge! It looks like an hoax video!!’’.
In his own contribution, Mr Ekundayo Hassan, said:
‘’Fashola (former Minister for Works) mentioned something about this bridge in his ministerial briefing’’.
Bayode Treasures – Olawunmi, a public reading ambassador who disputed Ohi’s hoax claim, also agreed that the opening is an attempt vandalisation.
‘’If it was caused by the water, the uniformity of the damage won’t be that way. This is a deliberate human wickedness driven by the drive for profit’’.
