FG Formally Closes Third Mainland Bridge Friday

Zainab Sanni

The Federal Government on Tuesday announced that the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos State would be formally closed to road users by midnight, Friday July 24.

The partial closure is to enable scheduled rehabilitation work that will last from July, 2020 to January, 2021.

The Works and Housing Minister, Babatunde Fashola, made this known while briefing journalists in Abuja on the proposed maintenance of the bridge.

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He noted that the maintenance work which will be carried out on a length of 3.5 kilometer out of the 11.8 kilometer bridge became imperative to repair failing and damaged portions.

He said that the Third Mainland Bridge which links the Lagos Island with the Lagos Mainland was among the bridges designated for maintenance after a comprehensive assessment of the 37 bridges across the country, adding that the government cannot afford to rebuild the bridge if allowed to collapse.He said that N277 billion will be needed to rehabilitate all the 37 bridges.

“The construction of the bridge spanned three decades and we cannot afford to rebuild it if we allow it totally collapse. Infrastructure must be maintained. After the work is done, we will have a better driving experience on the bridge,” he said.