Third Mainland Bridge: Lagos assures of convenient alternatives

The Lagos State Government said on Friday it had started working on the alternative routes for motorists to ply following the closure of the Third Mainland Bridge.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Works and Infrastructure, Mrs. Aramide Adeyoye, stated this at a media briefing in Ikeja.

Adeyoye said the state government had undertaken repairs of some inner roads and was still continuing the process.

According to her, roles and responsibilities had been assigned to different agencies of government to ensure residents did not feel the pains of the partial closure of the Third Mainland Bridge.

He said: “Everybody has assiduously worked, the agencies, for the Lagos State Traffic Management Agency (LASTMA) has done what they needed to do. The Ministry of Works, through the Office of the Public Works Operations had identified all the alternative routes which the 25 percent that would be affected by the partial closure should take.

“We have taken time to repair some of the inner roads along Oyingbo, Abeokuta Street, roads leading to Herbert Macaulay major highway, to Jibowu, among others.

“So, what we are saying is that, yes, there may be partial closure, but the alternative routes should make the journey easier for people. We have taken time to fix them and we will still be on the ground.

READ ALSO: Third Mainland Bridge: LASTMA to deploy over 600 officers on highways

”So in all, what the state government is doing is to make life more convenient for people, irrespective of the stress this partial closure could bring.

“We are doing everything assiduously to ensure that you all have a smooth ride, either journeying through the waterways or using the alternative routes that we are trying to make as motorable as possible.”

The Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Federic Oladeinde, reiterated that the bridge would be closed at 11:55 p.m. on Friday (today), to allow repair works on the worn-out expansion joints on the structure.

He said an inspection tour had been undertaken to assess palliative works done on the alternative routes, toward ensuring their readiness for motorists.

“I can comfortably confirm that they are all ready for this enormous task ahead.

“LASTMA will be working 24 hours to ensure that traffic moves seamlessly from one point to another.

“I want to appeal to Lagosians to cooperate with our LASTMA officials, with the officials on the road and then, I don’t see this partial closure being a problem.

”We are only affecting 25 percent of the trip, which would be managed on the alternative routes. Residents should obey the traffic laws and not cause trouble on the road,” the commissioner said.

He disclosed that 650 LASTMA officers had been deployed toward adequate management of traffic on all the diversion routes, while the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) had equally deployed 250 of its officers for the same purpose.

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