The suffering that motorists go through on the Eko Bridge, in Lagos, on a daily basis belies the claim by the Federal Government that the repair work on the burnt Akpongbon Bridge is an emergency response.
On March 23, 2022, fire burnt a section of the bridge, and almost immediately, the federal authorities started what it called an emergency work that would enable it reopen the section of the Eko Bridge that was closed to traffic, causing the gridlock that has now become a major feature of that bridge.
“What we are doing here is an emergency pending when the result of the sample of the burnt bridge taken for testing is out; we are working hard to ensure that the suffering on that route does not last longer than necessary,’’ Olukayode Popoola, former controller of works in Lagos, told this reporter.
“We have decided to do remedial work on the burnt section of the bridge by putting up some reinforcement and casting them. That, we hope, will be able to hold the bridge pending when the result of the test is out to enable us do a comprehensive repair work,” the controller added.
For roughly three months, that assurance, which had the tone of emergency and empathy for the suffering motorists on that bridge, is yet to translate into concrete action, as the contractor handling the repair work is not anywhere near completion of the work.
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When this reporter, who has been monitoring progress of work on the bridge, visited the project site on Friday, June 17, 2022, what was on ground, in terms of work done, did not show that the suffering on the bridge would end any time soon.
With the rain, travel time and cost to the Island from any part of the Mainland have more than tripled while driving experience for motorists has moved from bad to worse.
It was particularly terrible for commuters on Friday as the gridlock started way back from Alaka Bridge, near National Stadium; hence some motorists called out Lagos State government for intervention.
‘’I don’t understand why the Lagos State government should look away while residents go through this hell on a daily basis here, a motorist who conveyed this reporter to the Island said.
The motorist, who identified himself simply as Kazeem, called on the state government to help Lagosians by intervening in the repair work which the Federal Government is doing on the bridge.
“This thing has happened in Lagos. The people who are suffering the impact are Lagosians, not those in Abuja. Lagos State government should come in to end the daily suffering on this bridge. Believe it or not, this has a bad effect on the state’s economy,’’ the motorist noted.
Another motorist who identified himself as Martins, also cried out to the state government to come to the aid of commuters, wondering why the state governor whose economic agenda for the state prioritises transportation should be looking away from this mess.
‘’Everybody is just talking about Eko Bridge. It goes beyond that. Go to Carter Bridge and the adjoining roads from Costain, Bode Thomas, Oyingbo, etc and the story is the same. What happens on Eko Bridge affects all these entry routes to the island,’’ Martins noted, pleading with Babajide Sanwo-Olu not to wait for Abuja, but consider the plight of the residents of his state.
BusinessDay had, following an earlier visit to the project site, reported that there was no respite in sight for motorists on Eko Bridge as the repair work on Akpongbon Bridge was dragging and taking longer than expected
