In order to ensure public safety, the Federal Ministry of Works on Wednesday closed the Apapa-bound lane at the start of the Marine Bridge in Lagos.
A team of engineers from Buildwell Plants and Equipment Industries Ltd. reportedly utilized crash barriers to barricade the damaged section of the deck on pile bridge, according to a News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondent who visited the scene of the collapsed portion of the bridge.
A bridge without piers is known as a deck on pile bridge.
NAN noted that while the company, contractors working on the Marine and Eko Bridge projects, were doing that, a group of traffic control agencies maintained traffic around the detour.
The crew was also helped by the police.
After arriving and reassessing the infrastructure, Mrs. Olukorede Keisha, the Assistant Director in charge of Federal Highways in Lagos State, issued an order for the whole shutdown of the section.
According to Keisha’s account to NAN, vandals’ actions caused the service lane of the deck of piling bridge to get damaged and cave in.
Investigations, according to her, showed that the vandals had lit a fire underneath the bridge in order to access iron rods and other steel parts there and cut them off.
She claimed that the bridge collapsed as a result of the vandals removing and stealing its steel components.
According to her, a thorough analysis revealed the urgent need to close the bridge in order to reduce risk to drivers and other road users.
“Upon inspection, we found that the building had been set on fire in order to expose the reinforcement so they could cut it off, which is exactly what they did.
“And the concrete cannot withstand the pressure on its own without the tension. It requires encouragement and assistance. Concrete by itself cannot complete the task after reinforcement is removed, leading to the collapse.
“It must be quickly shut down for the sake of public safety.
“We had a look at it, and the contractor evaluated it closely. So, we’re going back to the drawing board to assess it and consider any potential quick fixes.
But in the meanwhile, she added, “we’re going to close this and redirect traffic to alternate routes.”
Keisha contacted the leader of the LASTMA and FRSC teams on an urgent traffic architecture for the closure and redirection of vehicles after arriving at the spot with a team of engineers at around 3:03 p.m.
She informed NAN that alternate routes for traffic would include Costain and the section of the Marine Bridge that leads to Lagos Island.
placing collision barriers on the problematic area.
Keisha pleaded with motorists to exercise patience as the Federal Government was making every effort to fix the damaged area as soon as possible.
She assured them that repairs would start quickly and stated an urgent proposal was being drafted for rapid shipment to the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja.
She urged Lagos citizens to adopt ownership of the city’s roads and other public facilities in order to keep them safe from damage.
According to her, vandalism usually has a bad effect on all state residents, thus it is important to be vigilant to prevent miscreants from harming public property.
All public services must be used as if they were our own, she insisted.
She claimed that on Tuesday night, the road gave way, and the contractor was immediately dispatched to the scene to start an investigation in search of an immediate fix.
According to NAN, the traffic control authorities permitted the evacuation of vehicles that were already on the Carter Bridge via the earlier-created detour.
They subsequently completely shut down the approach of the Marine Bridge’s Apapa-bound lane, which is close to Ijora Olopa and next to the Lagos State Water Corporation. (NAN)
