Some level of respite is in the offing for distraught motorists inbound Eko Bridge, as the Federal Government has begun repair works on the Alaka Bridge inward Iganmu, Lagos.
The rehabilitation work, which was flagged off on Saturday, December 8, with the deployment of equipment, is coming shortly after the completion and re-opening of the Ijora 7Up-Apapa Bridge.
The 1.4km Alaka Bridge had been in a state of disrepair for a couple of years. It is currently riddled with potholes and uneven surface. Most of its expansion joints had since given way, with serious impact on traffic flow inward Eko Bridge.
The condition of the bridge has been worsened by the array of trailers and petroleum tankers making their way to Apapa, as they have taken over one lane of the two-lane bridge, stretching inward Eko Bridge and Ijora-Olopa. The impact has been such that motorists and commuters are daily cramped in traffic snarl at the risk of their lives.
Adedamola Kuti, the Federal Controller of Works, Lagos, told BusinessDay on Monday that the scope of work would include resurfacing of the bridge, changing of damaged hand railings, replacement of damaged expansion joints and the drainage system.
Kuti said the Federal Ministry of Works, Power and Housing, would be leveraging the experience garnered during the just completed 326 metres Ijora 7U-Apapa Bridge, to fix the Alaka Bridge, and therefore will take a shorter period to complete.
“We hope to complete the work faster learning from our experience at the Ijora-Apapa Bridge. I believe within three-months or so, we would be done,” Kuti said. He added that most of the repair works would be carried at night hours to reduce the level of inconvenience to the public, except during the replacement of the expansion joints, which would require a temporary shutdown of the bridge.
Recall that the Federal Government, on Friday, after five months of closing and barricading Ijora end of Ijora 7up-Ijora Bridge for repairs, re-opened the facility to traffic.
The re-opening of the bridge had brought an immediate relief to motorists exiting Apapa, who, for the past five months, have had to drive all the way to Ijora Olopa and connect Eko Bridge in their bid to access the Constain Roundabout and Surulere.
The scope of works included reinforcement of base pillars, replacement of damaged expansion joints and drainage pipes as well as re-asphalting and painting. Hallekem Limited handled the contract.
