[files] Access to the bridge linking International Airport road still cordoned off one month after. PHOTO:FEMI ADEBESIN-KUTI
The Federal Government, yesterday, pledged to commence repairs on the burnt Lagos Airport link bridge by the end of March.
The bridge, which links the Apapa-Oshodi-Ojota-Oworonshoki expressway, was razed when a tanker conveying 44,000 litres of diesel burst into flames in January. Since then, the government has abandoned the bridge, causing untold hardship to motorists and commuters around the area.
Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Alhaji Babangida Hussaini, disclosed this when he led officials of the ministry to a two-day technical inspection of roads and housing projects in Lagos.
He said the repairs on the bridge would alleviate the inconveniences encountered by commuters going through the airport.
“We have just concluded the technical evaluation. We have done the integrity test. What we are doing now is the procurement process. I can assure you that the contractor will start work on the bridge by the end of the month because it is an important link road to the airport,” he said.
Alhaji Hussaini, who said he had to have the permission of the minister of works and housing to inspect the bridge and report back to him for immediate remediation of the damages, described the incident as worrisome.
He said that tankers carrying combustible materials are always a problem on the highways and our facilities and it is high time, they began to appreciate the need to be cautious in carrying all these hazardous materials on the highways.
“You can see the extent of damage on the bridge, and it is not the first time that the government would be providing money to repair damaged piers of such burnt bridges,” he said.
On the ongoing works on Apapa- Oshodi expressway, the permanent secretary said the Federal Government decided to opt for concrete pavement because of the volume of traffic and cargo that were normally evacuated from the port down to the hinterland.
He said the Federal Government was working with Dangote Group to introduce the new technology as it would be in place for many years because the concrete paving and road network had been the focus for some time.
