Third Mainland Bridge: We just want to do palliative work to provide relief, complete overhaul of Asphalt layer to commence 2024 – Controller Works
October 20, 2023
The Federal Controller of Works in Lagos State, Mrs. Olukorede Keisha, has stated that a complete overhaul of the layers of asphalt on the Third Mainland Bridge will begin at the end of January 2024.
Mrs Keisha made this disclosure on Friday during an interview on Channels Television’s breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily.
According to her the bridge will be closed for 6 months to enable proper repairs.
“So we were saying let us do a complete overhauling of the asphalt overlay some of them have been long overdue because we haven’t done that in the last 30 years. It is just the failures that have shown up that we have been addressing,” she said.
“It is going to be a complete overhauling of the asphalt layer on both bounds and then replacing it with new ones, so that will give us relief for the next 10 years.”
“The Federal government has awarded that contract already, and preparatory works are pending when the contractor moves to the site because there are some elements for the repairs that need to be imported.”
“Pending that, we just want to do palliative work to provide relief for motorists,” she said
“It is going to take the contractor 3 months to import those elements needed for the repair ”
“One bound will be 3 months then we will divert to the other bound once we are done with this bound we will bring back traffic to this lane.”
“Afterwards we were going to have a very brand new road,” she said
The Federal Government on Thursday announced that the Third Mainland Bridge will be closed to traffic from Saturday, October 21, 2023, to Sunday, October 22, 2023, for palliative works.
Speaking on the repairs commencing Saturday, the Controller noted that the project was heavily dependent on the monetary allocation disbursed for the Federal roads across the state.
“What we have been doing is according to the funds available, You know you can’t do beyond the funds available to you.
“Nigeria is a large state, and the funds available to the Federal Ministry of Works in its entirety will have to be shared by the 37 states.
“So what comes to us in Lagos will have to be shared amongst all the Federal roads in Lagos.’
She also indicated that the present government was determined to do away with the previous mode of road repairs across the country.
“What we have been doing is sectional repairs, we look at areas that have failed and promptly attend to those areas and when you attend to this area this year, you discover another area is going to come up next year.”