After being closed for 15 months for renovation work, the Eko Bridge has been reopened thanks to the efforts of the federal government and the state of Lagos.
Recall that a fire brought on by illegal business under the bridge seriously destroyed it at the Apogbon portion.
According to legend, the ferocity of the inferno damaged the bridge’s primary structural elements and supporting pillars, necessitating substantial repairs along the whole stretch.
One of the three bridges connecting the mainland to Lagos Island is the Eko Bridge.
The reopening of the bridge was a big relief for commuters and drivers who had experienced months of discomfort entering and leaving Lagos Island.
Numerous delighted commuters welcomed Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Federal Comptroller of Works on Saturday evening.
At a drive-through ceremony for the flyover’s reopening on Saturday night, hundreds of delighted commuters welcomed Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Federal Comptroller of Works, Engr. Olukorede Keisha.
Sanwo-Olu stated that although the Apogbon axis repair was finished, maintenance work will still need to be done on the infrastructure, resulting in sporadic closures in the upcoming months.
The governor apologized on behalf of the Federal Government to the people of Lagos for the inconvenience caused by the delay in reopening the bridge, emphasizing that it would be dangerous to do so before the damaged portion had been properly rebuilt.
“It is with great delight to announce that we have carried out comprehensive tests with the contractor from the Federal Ministry of Works and we believe that Apogbon section of the Eko Bridge can now be opened for motorists. But the maintenance work on the entire bridge has not completed. There are lots of bearings that still need to be reinforced along the entire stretch of the infrastructure.
“In future, there will be more intermittent closures at different sections of the bridge but the period may not be longer than one or two weeks. This is necessary for us to jerk up the bridge and complete the maintenance work. We are reopening the bridge to bring relief to road users, who have endured hardship due to the repair work,” Sanwo-Olu stated.
The governor said the contractor handling the work would also be reconstructing ancillary roads along the corridor to prevent further misuse of the bridge.
Sanwo-Olu said continuous trading activities under the bridge would no longer be permitted to prevent further damage to the flyover.
The Governor issued a seven-day ultimatum to all traders and illegal squatters to remove their belongings and vacate the space under the Eko Bridge.
He directed the Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences Enforcement Unit (Taskforce) to clear any illegal structure found under the bridge after the ultimatum.
Sanwo-Olu said: “We are using this medium to warn those trading under the bridge that we will not tolerate any form of illegal activities under this bridge and other bridges in the State. The bridges are important assets to the State and we cannot fold our arms and allow a few people to destroy them.
“We have seen the effect which the destruction on Eko Bridge caused the entire city. We cannot afford to have these bridges shut down again because of illegal activities. We will clear all squatters from Ijora Olopa to Costain and there will be zero tolerance for market activity under the bridge.”
Keisha commended Lagos State Government for collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Works to hasten up the repair work on the bridge, noting that the reopening of the bridge was made possible because of the intervention of the State Government.
She said comprehensive maintenance work had already started on Eko Bridge before the fire incident happened, which made the contractor to abandon the work to focus on the damaged sections. Having repaired the parts damaged by the fire, Keisha said the contractor would continue the maintenance work to reinforce the bridge for public safety.
Keisha said: “The reopening of the bridge would not have been possible if the Lagos State Government had not come to our rescue. If not for the intervention of the State Government, what is happening here would not be achieve.
“We appreciate this collaboration and timely support. Having considered the hardship on motorists, Governor Sanwo-Olu brought the machinery of the State to the assistance of the Federal Government and get the work done.”
