The Federal Controller of Works, Lagos, Mr Adedamola Kuti, disclosed that, the emergency rehabilitation/maintenance of the Third Mainland Bridge project would begin on July 27. Kuti made this known on Wednesday, during a stakeholders’ meeting at the Ministry of Works office in Lagos.
He said the repair works on the bridge would be staggered over a period of 27 months and would be handled by Borini Prono Construction Company.

The meeting was convened by the ministry for stakeholders like: NUPENG, National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO), Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) and the police, to brainstorm on effective traffic diversion and management to prevent gridlocks during the period.

He said the bridge would be totally shut to traffic on the first three days for the contractor to carry out various tests on it. He said that subsequent closures would be on partial basis.

He appealed for the patience of road users and promised that all alternative routes would be repaired to make them smooth for easy access.

Also, the Lagos State Sector Commander of the Federal Roads Safety Corps, (FRSC), Mr Hyginus Omeje, appealed to motorists to use mass transportation facilities during repair works on the Third Mainland Bridge.

Omeje told journalists that the vehicular occupancy ratio in Lagos was 1:1 which meant that there was an average of one driver per vehicle that plied the road hence, the usual heavy traffic.

He said that all the traffic regulatory and law enforcement agencies at the event were going to work in synergy to prevent gridlock.

He also appealed to the media to increase its awareness campaign on the dangers of drivers of articulated vehicles parking on the roads and bridges.

They should change their attitudes toward indiscriminate parking of trucks on the roads and bridges, Omeje said.