Ahead of Christmas festivities, the Lagos State government is reopening the Third Mainland Bridge which had been closed to traffic in the last six weeks to enable emergency repairs.
The reopening of the 11.8 kilometre bridge, which is a major route connecting the Lagos Island and the Mainland, is coming eight days behind the scheduled announced by David Umahi, the minister of works.
Oluwaseun Osiyemi, Commissioner for Transportation in Lagos, said in statement on Thursday, December 21, 2023 that the reopening would take place by 6pm same day. All things being equal, the bridge should have been reopened about 05 minutes ago judging from the time of this report.
Osiyemi said the maintenance work had been done and so, the entire bridge was now fully accessible to the public, ensuring smoother connectivity and safe commuting.
“We appreciate your patience during the temporary closure and understand the inconvenience it may have caused. The reopening reaffirms our commitment to infrastructure upkeep and public safety,” the commissioner told the motoring public, wishing them “a joyful holiday season and safe travels.”
Umahi explained that the closure of the bridge for repair work was aimed at total repositioning of road and bridge infrastructure in Nigeria and to bring succour to road users who have suffered the effects of decayed infrastructure over the years
The minister who spoke at the flag of the repair work along with Femi Hamzat, Lagos Deputy Governor, said the work would start with the four ramps to the bridge where, he noted, work had already commenced on November 6, 2023 and would be completed on or before December 13, 2023.
He announced that work on the major carriageway of the bridge would start on January 15, 2024.
