By Grace Alegba
The Federal Government on Tuesday appealed for understanding of road users as it planned to partially close the Marine Bridge in Apapa for another round of emergency rehabilitation.
The Acting Federal Controller of Works in Lagos State, Mrs Forosola Oloyede, made the appeal in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Oloyede said the rehabilitation of the bridge being done in phases, was important to safeguard lives and the infrastructure.
She said worn out expansion joints and bearings on the bridge would be replaced while the Corbel would be repaired.
Corbel is the weight carrying portions of a bridge built deeply into the walls to absorb pressure of load on a bridge.
She said the last phased rehabilitation was done between January and March.
“Some structural members of the bridge are in bad shape and have been awarded by the Federal Government; the Apapa Wharf bound was closed in January and has been repaired and we reopened to traffic in March.
“Now, we are going to close the Ijora bound carriageway on the 20th of August and open it on the 20th of December,” she said.
She said the ministry had repaired alternative routes “turning down to Mobil Filling Station and ramping up back to Marine Bridge again”.
Oloyede added that the Leventis to Navy Dockyard Road, ramping back to the Marine Bridge, had also been repaired.
She added that traffic architecture around all the diversion points had been reviewed to ensure minimal discomfort to road users.
“Our hands are going to be on deck during the rehabilitation period to ensure all alternative routes are smooth to make sure that the motoring public do not suffer unnecessarily from the repairs we are doing,” she said.
The Acting Controller assured that the traffic impact out of the Wharf was usually lighter and measures were in place for continued seamless flow.
She added that the Federal Ministry of Works was collaborating with the Lagos State Ministry of Transportation, the Lagos State Traffic Management Authourity (LASTMA) and the Federal Roads Safety Corps (FRSC) to ensure free flow.
“All of them (traffic regulatory agencies) are fully on ground and they are fully aware and they are going to work with us to have a seamless traffic during the period of rehabilitation of Marine Bridge.
She appealed to road users to cooperate with all the traffic enforcement agencies and the Police.
Oloyede further urged them to be patient and use the alternative routes while also cooperating with government because the repair was for the good and safety of the public.
On the scope of work, she said “we are repairing the Corbels, changing the expansion joints and we are changing the bearings. And we are going to mill and resurface that particular section”.
NAN reports that the over 40 year-old Marine Bridge was damaged by a fire and was first awarded for repairs in 2012.
The bridge had undergone series of phased repairs with the last concluded in March. (NAN)
