The Federal Government will commence comprehensive rehabilitation the 11.8-kilometre Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos today. The Minister of Works, David Umahi, first announced on Saturday that the repair works on the popular bridge will commence on November 1 when he recently inspected under deck and lagoon sections of the bridge.
Here are seven things you need to know as the rehabilitation of the bridge begins today:
- The reason for the maintenance is because the bridge is old.
- The bridge will NOT be totally closed.
- The repairs will start on November 1, 2023.
- The repairs will last for three months.
- The bridge will be closed by midnight and will be opened by 4am.
- Road users will have access to the bridge from 4am till midnight.
- Replacement of railings, installation of solar-powered lights, and installation of CCTV cameras are all part of road maintenance plans.
The minister said he carried out inspection of the top surface of the bridge on Friday before embarking on inspection of the Lagoon portions. The minister explained that patching of various sections of the top surface of bridge had led to undulating surfacing, which was not healthy for its safety, hence the need to remove and relay the entire asphaltic covering. “We are going to mill out the excess asphalt and retain only two millimetres,” he said.
He noted that this phase of maintenance of the Third Mainland Bridge is the first phase meant to secure the integrity as well aesthetics of the upper deck components of the bridge.
