The Nation Newspaper

Tag: BRIDGES

  • FEC okays N1.3tr for 28 roads, bridges

    FEC okays N1.3tr for 28 roads, bridges

    The Federal Executive Council(FEC)  yesterday approved  N1.267 trillion for the construction of   28 roads and  bridges across the country

    Also okayed by the council is the establishment of  Renewed Hope Infrastructure Development Fund (RHIDF)  to tackle the nation’s $878 billion infrastructure gap.

      Works Minister Dave Umahi and Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) Chairman  Zacch Adedeji announced these to reporters after FEC’s meeting in Abuja yesterday.

    President Bola Ahmed Tinubu presided over the meeting. 

    Umahi revealed that apart from the 28 projects, FEC  agreed that   N144 billion be spent on Shaki-Okerete Road in Oyo State and  N 83. 779 billion on the Buruku BrIdge in Katsina Ala, Benue State.

    One project —the N158 billion  Biu- Kanga-Kana- Gaya road to the Niger Republic border- was stepped down by the council based on the minister’s request.

    He said, “Today(yesterday)  the Federal Executive Council considered and approved a total of 28 roads and bridges and stepped down one project. The project I requested that should be stepped down so that I can look at it again is the Biu, Kanga, Kana, Gaya to the border of Niger Republic costing about N158 billion.

    “The other projects totalling 1.26 7 trillion, they were all approved by FEC having gone through the BPP(Bureau for Public Procurement)  and we got the certification, no objection.

    Read Also: FEC approves fund to bridge $878bn national infrastructure deficit

    “Council also approved the Buruku bridge that is going across Katsina Ala River in Benue state, the bridge is a twin bridge that marches the dualised road there, and each of the bridge is about 850 meters. So put the two together is 1.7 kilometres and costs about N83.799 billion.

    “There was also approval by FEC  for a road- Shaki and Okerete- in Oyo. The road is 91.432 kilometres costing N144 billion.”

    Adedeji, who is also President Tinubu’s special adviser on Revenue explained that the RHIDF   would be domiciled in the Presidency.

    RHIDF is an upgrade of the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund initiated by the previous administration.

    Adedeji explained that the  National Integrated Infrastructure Masterplan estimated Nigeria’s infrastructure expenditure from 2016 to 2040 at  878 $billion.

    The amount, according to him, averages $35 billion annually.

  • RAINS OF SORROW: Motorists face hard times as floods wash off bridges in Niger

    THE rainy season is often seen as a relief from heat and the dusty atmosphere that characterises the dry season. But too much of it can become a problem. It often results in flooding and rainstorm which in turn could wreak havocs like loss of lives, erosion and even collapsed buildings. For motorists in Niger State, the havoc has come in the form of collapsed bridges, which has literally turned life into a piece of hell.

    While the state has often been unfortunate in rainy seasons because of flooding, especially with the release of water from the various dams in the state, the disaster it is faced with this year has taken a different dimension. The floods appear to target the bridges that link its various communities such that the state had to admit this is the year it has recorded the highest number of collapsed bridges.

    At the last count, seven bridges linking prominent towns in the state have been washed off while there are unconfirmed reports of 10 others giving way to the hydrokinetic force. Numbered among them is the bridge in Dare Biyu village, which connects Mariga and Kontagora. Most motorists have had to resort to using another bridge on Kontagora -Tegina Road, but the difficulty faced by drivers on the road is now unbearable. While the bridge was a bit manageable in the past, it has not been able to stand the heavy downpour that the area has witnessed in the past three weeks. Its resultant collapse has left motorists and commuters stranded, causing travellers to trek for kilometres to get to the other side of the bridge and continue their journeys.

    Rafin Gora, another bridge on the Kontagora-Makera highway, is among the bridges recently washed away after two days of torrential rainfall. Only a small portion was opened at the side of the bridge, while the state government has banned heavy duty trucks from taking the route in order to avoid further deterioration in the road’s condition, while smaller vehicles are allowed to use the small portion.

    The Dangana Bridge, the only motorable road from Lapai to Gulu, Vatsa and Ebbo has also joined the queue of bridges washed off by flood. Since it is the only motorable route, cars and travellers have to cross the water with the aid of ferries in order to continue their journeys.

    Only recently, the state government had to move swiftly to repair the bridge linking Minna with Bida when it collapsed, because the road is one of the busiest in the state and the only one linking the north to the south. Although the road was closed down for a few days to effect repairs, it has now been opened as the bridge was repaired.

    Other bridges including the one on Kuta-Gwada Road in Shiroro Local Government Area, the bridge in Doba community in Lapai Local Government Area and the one along Kafinkoro/Adunu and Ishau in Paiko Local Government Area are not left out as they have also been washed away by flood. Concerns

    The washed off bridges have been a cause for concern not just among travellers but also farmers, since the state is mostly agrarian. Most of the farmers in the affected areas have not been able to take their produce to markets, while other travellers are either stranded or spend long hours on journeys that should take a short time to accomplish. Drivers have been forced to consider alternative routes which are usually longer because of the collapsed bridges.

    A commercial driver, Danladi Ndagi, who takes his passengers through the Dangana Bridge, lamented the inability of the state government to effect the repairs of the bridge to make the journey easier for people.

    Ndagi said: “Government is playing politics with the bridge, and the failure to complete it is causing untold hardship for the people. How can you be travelling and when you get to a section of the road, you have to come down to cross water in order to get to the other side to continue your journey? It is not reasonable. ”

    Another motorist, Adamu Lapai, said the government was being insensitive to the plight of the people using the road. “Government is extremely insensitive to the plight and the sufferings of the people. Now that elections are around the corner, they are pretending that they have resumed work on the bridge. It is unfortunate,” he said.

    Lapai, who spent more than four hours at the bridge, added: “There was no financial commitment on the side of government, and that was what made the work to stop, making those who use of the bridge to suffer on a daily basis.

    “Even though we heard that the state government has released N77 million for the completion of the bridge, they were doing it now to satisfy their selfish political goal. Otherwise, why delaying that bridge that linked us with other communities and Kogi State?”

    Community in pains

    The village head of Dangana community, Yanusa Abdullahi, said that motorists and commuters are passing through hell at the bridge.

    He said: “The people of my community and those who pass through the bridge are suffering a lot. Most of the time, they find it difficult to take their farm produce to nearby villages or town to sell due to the collapse of the bridge.”

    Abdullahi lamented that farmers in his community cannot go to the market to sell their farm produce as a result of the collapsed bridge in the area.

    He said: “Without the bridge, farmers cannot go to the market to sell their farm products. We are appealing to the state government to speed up the construction of the bridge to ameliorate the sufferings of the local farmers of Dangana.”

    He said the temporary diversion created by the construction company was not helping matters as vehicles continued to get stuck inside the river, just as he disclosed that the contractor assured them that work on the bridge would soon finish if adequate fund was provided.

    When contacted, the project Manager of Suject Company, Milad Jarbanda, said that work on the bridge would be completed soon. “We have started work already and government has fulfilled its financial commitment. We are on top of it. Very soon, motorists and commuters will have a cause to smile.”

    There is no doubting the fact that the collapsed bridges are causing the state government untold headache. The Commissioner for Works, Alhaji Ibrahim Balarabe, lamented that most of the washed away roads being experienced in the rainy season were federal roads, adding that efforts were being made to ensure that the damaged portions were fixed while efforts towards ensuring lasting solution were also being explored.

    Balarabe lamented that this year’s rainy season has been most challenging in the state as it poses a serious threat to roads in the state.

    However, the Federal Controller of Works in Niger State, Engineer Iheanacho Felix, said work would commence on the collapsed roads in the state as soon as the rains subside while he appealed for patience and support from the communities and government.

  • Bridges in Nigeria: Lessons from Genoa

    On August 14, a pillar supporting a bridge over the Polcevera River in Genoa Italy collapsed leading to the death of 43 people and the wounding of several others whose vehicles tumbled down from the bridge falling in some cases on people and houses bellow the bridge. To imagine that a 50 or so years old bridge will collapse in Italy with its history of expertise in road and  bridge construction dating back to Roman times raises fears not only in Italy but in the entire world. As I listened to the news of this tragedy, my mind went to the Third Mainland Bridge and other bridges in Lagos and other parts of the country particularly bridges across the Niger, the Benue and other rivers in several parts of Nigeria. The reasons adduced for the collapse of this bridge apply to the Third Mainland Bridge and virtually all the flyovers in Lagos. The reasons given are increase in vehicular traffic, lack of regular maintenance, faulty design and use of steel and concrete in the construction of the said bridge. With the exception of faulty design, all the reasons would apply to the bridges of Lagos and elsewhere.  We also do not know the correctness of their designs. The Third Mainland Bridge is particularly a matter of concern to most road users. The bridge was closed for a few days in August for the purpose of assessment and examination of stress and strain and possible problems of wear and tear. Impatient Nigerians were even complaining about being disturbed and prevented from using the bridge.  The Third Mainland Bridge is one of the longest bridges in the world. It is probably about three to five kilometres long. It was constructed by the Nigerian off shoot of the German construction company, Bilfinger und Berger known here as Julius Berger now a publicly quoted Nigerian company. This bridge was completed in the 1990S during the regime of General Ibrahim Babangida. This means the bridge is over 30 years old. So it ought to be fit for purpose for at least another 30 years or more. But driving on the bridge shows some parts of it are sinking thus showing undulating contours where flat and smooth surface should be the normal thing. There has not been comprehensive maintenance in the last 30 years. Every time maintenance was proposed, the National Assembly shoots it down by spurious argument about federal character and need to spread developments to other parts of the country, ignorantly forgetting the huge contribution of Lagos to the national economy in terms of customs and excise duties and valued added tax. If Lagos were to collapse, 60% of the national economy will be gone. If these bridges collapse, thousands of souls will be lost. This is because at any given time, thousands of vehicles are stationary on the bridge in the terrible traffic snarl of Lagos. It is therefore not just an economic issue to ensure these bridges do not collapse, it is also a humanitarian issue. Apart from the Third Mainland Bridge, the Apapa flyovers have been irredeemably damaged by trucks and tankers permanently parked on them waiting to offload or carry goods from the Lagos ports that are immobilized by all sorts of problems that make running them efficiently virtually impossible. The point I am making is that we have problems of coming and imminent disaster in the collapse of some of the bridges particularly the Third Mainland Bridge unless immediate maintenance and in some cases additional construction to strengthen their foundation are quickly undertaken.

    In the Genoa bridge case, we are told the steel used to strengthen the concrete may have rusted thereby weakening the structure especially if water gets into the concrete following cracks. This is like describing the problem in Lagos. Iron rods which are routinely used as foundation for our bridges are not as enduring as we used to think. The only way to avoid disaster is regular inspection and maintenance. Italy because of the tragedy in Genoa has identified more than 450 bridges that need to be either redesigned, reconstructed or strengthened. Prevention is better than cure. I wish our ministry of works would also react proactively in spite of the usual economic and political constraints. I know certain bridges across the Niger in Jebba and Lokoja that must also be constantly watched as well as other bridges across many of our rivers in Nigeria. In spite of the fact that lives appear cheap in Nigeria, if we are to judge by how human lives are daily wasted on our roads, by herders and armed robbers as well as by the state itself, we must never give up reminding our leaders that there are irreducible minimum standards of a state’s responsibility to its citizens. If after this recent assessment of the Third Mainland Bridge, faults of design, construction or too much overload in the carrying capacity of the bridge are found out, our government should not hesitate in shutting the bridge down for months of accelerated maintenance. This is what a responsible government should do while ignoring the usual whining of the public. It is better to be alive than to die under a pile of concrete under the Third Mainland Bridge. No state of the federation where its people are facing imminent danger should, under the pretext that a bridge belongs to the federal government, abdicate its responsibilities of maintenance of bridges and roads in anticipation of reimbursement.

    While on this issue of infrastructure, I want to call the attention of the federal and states governments to the deplorable situation on our roads leading to innumerable deaths of poor and not so poor Nigerians. Death on bad roads is not a respecter of persons. It does not matter whether one is poor or rich or whether one is young or old. Our roads have been left unmaintained for many years by our different levels of government. With the exception of a few states in the country, all the states seem to do is pay salaries and allowances to their over-bloated bureaucracies with little left for development. The local governments that used to tar roads and collect garbage have abandoned their primary reasons for existence and members of local government councils merely meet to share allocation from Abuja if and when the states allow these allocations to reach their intended destinations. The result of this is total collapse of infrastructure. The road leading to people’s houses are never tarred and when tarred, are never rehabilitated or maintained.  This is in spite of payment of taxes and in the case of Lagos, huge land use levies. Nigerians do not expect much from our governments. We have gotten used to no potable water, no electricity, no security no roads or health and educational facilities that others in most parts of the world have taken for granted. But we have a right to our lives and this is a fundamental right. All I want to say to all our governments is that they should try and save us from unnecessary head aches and high blood pressure.

     

  • FEC okays N35.613b for roads, bridges 

    THE Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting has approved N35.613 billion for roads and bridges.

    Minister of Power, Works and Housing Babatunde Fashola briefed State House correspondents at the end of the FEC meeting chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    He was with the Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed.

    According to Fashola, N8.9 billion was approved for construction of Ikom bridge and roads in Calabar, Cross River State.

    The roads and 330 meter bridge, which will be completed in 24 months, he said, will create access to the port for trucks to move freely with their containers.

    “This will help to facilitate further activity in the Calabar port and ease the challenges being faced,” he added

    The minister said N11.78 billion was approved for the 37 kilometres of section two of Nguru-Gashua-Biamari road project in Yobe State and N8.6 billion was approved for section one of Ilorin-Igbeti-Kishi road project in Kwara State.

    N5.4 billion was approved for re-award of section one of Bende-Arochukwu-Ohafia road project in Abia State.

    Fashola said: “The previous contractor was unable to satisfactorily execute the project in terms of capacity and equipment. And therefore we terminated and re-awarded the project to a new contractor.” he stated

    He added that N933.7 million was approved for automatic meter reading machine and services for Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).

    “This is to facilitate remote meter reading of wholesale meters at the custody and trading points. This is different from remote reading of retail meters used by consumers like you and I.

    “If this is successful implemented, it will eliminate all of the delays. It will also help in dispute resolutions because data can be then produced quicker online,” he said.

    On what he is doing to enforce supply of retail electricity meters to Nigerians, he said: “The control that the Minister of Power before me, before 2013, had over PHCN and all its assets have been taken by the privatisation of the sector.

    “But as a people as a government, we are not helpless. Powers that the minister used to have are now vested in NERC.

    “But the minister has the power to direct NERC to do its job. There are clear statutory and legal  limits to what I can do as minister in order not to send a wrong message to investors,” he said

  • Fed Govt begins repair of roads, bridges in Lagos

    Fed Govt begins repair of roads, bridges in Lagos

    The Federal Controller of Works, Lagos, Mr Godwin Eke, yesterday said major roads and bridges in Lagos State were undergoing emergency and remedial repairs.

    Eke, in an interview in Lagos, said some bad roads required urgent attention and that the Federal Government was determined to make all federal roads in Lagos and across the nation motorable.

    He said some of the roads have been completed while others were still undergoing repairs.

    He explained that remedial works on both carriageways of Apongbon Bridge undulations had since been completed, noting that, speed was achieved on the project because the contractors worked at night.

    He listed ongoing emergency repair projects to include, repairs on Ijora Causeway, Ijora Flyover (East Link), Funsho Williams Avenue, replacement of 1 N  expansion joint on Eko Bridge, Costain Roundabout to Eko Bridge Ramp and Costain to Iganmu Bridge (Orile Bound).

    Others projects are: Funsho Williams Bridge to Alaka, Carter Bridge Roundabout to LAWMA Junction (Eko Bridge Bound Carriageway), Herbert Macaulay Way (Jibowu Junction to Adekunle Junction) and Outer Marina to Ahmadu Bellow way (From Apongbon Bridge to Bonny Camp).

    Also listed were Falomo Roundabout through Kingsway Road to Osbourne Road, Apapa Road to Western Avenue (Between Iganmu Bridge Ramp and Western Avenue Bridge Ramp (Alaka Bound Carriageway), Apapa Road towards Iganmu Bridge (Orile Bound) which were receiving attention.

    Eke said Ijora Olopa to Ijora7Up (Beside Oloye Nursery and Primary School (Ijora Olopa Bound), Alaka to Apongbon through Eko Bridge (both carriageways), Onikan Junction through Independent Bridge to Apongbon Bridge (Apongbon Bound) were undergoing repairs.

    According to him, Lagos Island/General Hospital to Apongbon, Onikan/Lagos Island to Apongbon through Apongbon Bridge/CMS (CMS Bound), Eko Bridge Approach to Ijora, Ijora to Apapa Road through underneath Iganmu Flyover (Costain Bound) and National Theatre Train Station to Costain (Costain Bound) were being worked upon.

    He said government was working on concluding plans for other roads not yet captured and appealed to residents of Lagos “to be patient with government” as the repairs would soon reach other roads.

    “Due to paucity of funds government cannot repair all the roads at the same time,” he said.

    The controller said that Apapa Oshodi/Tin Can Island Road was undergoing procurement and that government was also planning permanent reconstruction of roads on the Apapa/Tin Can Island/Oshodi Road corridor  to reduce gridlock/congestion to the barest minimum.

    “We will carry out some palliatives as soon as the procurement process is concluded.

    “The high water table in Apapa requires proper design  and adoption of rigid pavement to ensure longevity of our roads,” Eke said.

  • Hoodlums on the prowl

    Hoodlums on the prowl

    In the dark hours, under the bridges and in bushy neighbourhoods, hooligans are unleashing terror on residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), GBENGA OMOKHUNU reports 

    There is a growing network of bridges in the federal capital city. But so also is there an increasing army of hoodlums lurking under them and bringing misery to their victims. They rob and inflict injury on their preys.

    The bridges are everywhere. Many are in use, some under construction. You see them along the ever-busy six-lane Apo-Maitama Expressway, Area One and Zone Seven intersections, and also at Abuja- Kubwa-Kaduna Expressway. There are some more bridges at Gwarimpa Junction linking residents of Dawaki in Buari Area Council, and, of course, elsewhere.

    Bridges are good. They ease transportation. But findings have revealed that most of the bridges have become death zones, especially at night. Several attacks have been recorded around some of these bridges, helped by the fact that they are poorly or in bushy areas.

    One of such attacks occurred last Monday when an Assistant Business Editor with The Guardian newspaper, Mathias Okwe was robbed by some hoodlums at the popular Apo Bridge at about 11pm.

    Mr. Okwe, who narrated his ordeal to Abuja Review after he was discharged from the hospital, thanked God for saving his life.

    He said, “Abuja is dark and it has become very dangerous to move around particularly at night. I just pulled by the road to urinate around 11pm at the popular Apo Bridge. I was coming from the Legislative Quarters where I went to see someone. From nowhere some hoodlums attacked me. I did not see them as they approached.

    “When I got to the hospital that night I was told that there was no week that such incident didn’t happen. The nurses said people are usually rushed in with different cuts on their body. The police officers at the Garki police station where I reported the incident are also aware of the sad development and they confirmed it. They said it is always a recurring decimal.             “The prosecutor at the station also told me that when they take those boys to court [some people] will go and free them and the hoodlums will find their way back to the streets. That fateful day, I was in company of two other men including my little child in the car. I thank God that I was not injured too badly. So I drove myself to the hospital. I am still receiving treatment at home.

    “My advice to people is that they should be wary of the bridges because from the look of things all of them are not safe. They should avoid the bridges at night. They made away with my phones, laptop and other valuables.”

    Investigation by Abuja Review also shows that some girls have been raped in that area when they appeared unwilling to let go off their valuables. But almost always the targets of the hoodlums are mobile phones and wristwatches. One could imagine that Abuja, being the seat of power, is well policed to prevent crimes, but that is not the case at present. The city, like many other cities in the country, has its black places. Do not drive to some places in the FCT with your car window glass wound down even if the car is not air conditioned. The places include the junction linking NNPC Towers in Central Area, National Mosque and Zone Four.

    Investigations showed that many women motorists have lost their handbags and other valuables to common thieves and hoodlums there. Many policemen out on night duty, many residents alleged, disappear from their duty posts any time after 10pm, making it easy for hoodlums to operate. Indeed, the policemen come out later, but they hardly meet emergency situations. If Abuja can be prone to insecurity on the bridges, especially at night, what then happens to other cities in the country? It is compelling to build bridges with electricity components, such that the streetlights would be on throughout the night to curb the activities of hoodlums.

    A resident who spoke to Abuja Review, Abdul Musa said he has been robbed twice on the dark pedestrian bridge close to Area 3 Junction, adding, “On that fateful evening when I closed from work, I rushed to Area 3 to board a bus to Nyanya but due to the volume of cars that ply that expressway I decided to use the pedestrian bridge, but as I climbed the bridge in that dark hour, I saw some young men positioned on top of the bridge. They beckoned on me to come close and cooperate with them.

    “When I got there, they quietly cornered me one side and dispossessed me of my handbag containing my phone, N40,000, debit cards, identity card and my international passport. It looked like a drama to me, until a few minutes later when it dawned on me that the whole game was real.”

    Abuja Review investigation revealed that the aforementioned cases are just few out of the many being recorded everyday across the Abuja metropolis and other satellite towns. The investigation also revealed that personal belongings of the residents of the Abuja worth millions of Naira are lost on a daily basis on the account of the actions of these people.

    Worried by the level of losses, the victims requested that the police and other security officials be positioned at these dark pedestrian bridges at night to guarantee the security of the pedestrians. They also advised that hawkers who occasionally occupy the bridges be sent packing.

    Abuja Review spoke with the Acting Secretary Transport Secretariat, Alhaji Abdulhamid Suleiman who said efforts were being made to convert all traffic light signals to solar power.

    Suleiman said government efforts are being thwarted by the vandals and hit-and-run drivers.

    He said, “We are not resting on our oars. We are collaborating with all relevant law enforcement agencies to track down these criminals and bring them to justice.”

    The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) DSP Anjuguri Manzah, in a telephone conversation with Abuja Review, said the police are always on the trail of the hoodlums and have not been resting on their oars in bringing them to justice on a daily basis when they are caught.

    Manzah said the police are always on patrol even without information from anybody, adding that it is not true that they let the hoodlums go after interrogation.

    He advised car owners to be curious while on the road and always wind up and lock their vehicles either in or out of the car.

    The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mallam Muhammad Bello recently at a public function advised Julius Berger Nigeria Plc to properly install streetlights at strategic points in Abuja.

     

  • Igando wooden bridges need attention

    Igando wooden bridges need attention

    The wooden bridges that presently link Igando area of Lagos State with Ayobo community, also in Lagos, need an urgent intervention from the state government.

    Some private individuals years back constructed the wooden bridges to link the two communities for a fee.

    Residents from both sides, who had had to take longer routes, immediately embraced the gesture and business began to thrive for the owners of those wooden bridges.

    There are three wooden bridges in the area. At present, for the bridge that allows motorists, every private car owner pays N200 to cross the bridge and pays the same amount on the return trip. But commercial yellow buses are said to pay a lump sum of between N1,200 and N1,500 per day.

    For the other bridge that admits only commercial tricycles (Marwa) and commercial motorcycles (okada), patrons pay N500 each per day. The two bridges, which allow only pedestrians to cross, charge N30 and N50 per person and an equal amount on return respectively.

    Patrons of the three wooden bridges, mostly workers and traders who need “shortcuts” to their offices and markets, are grateful for the opportunity for the temporary relief the wooden bridges afford them. However, many residents want government’s intervention that will see a good network of roads that will put paid to the wooden bridges and open the two communities to each other.

    “The owners of the bridges have done a good job in providing a ‘shortcut’ for people, but if you go to those bridges, they are not properly maintained, despite the huge money they make daily. The day I had to cross one of the bridges with my SUV, an Honda CRV, I had to be praying silently because the wooden bridge was shaking as if it will cave in.

    “At a point, vehicles had to wait mid-way for one another to cross,” one of the patrons said.

    Another one said: “There were rumours that former Governor Babatunde Fashola came to inspect the wooden bridges one time during his regime. That raised hope that something will be done about the bridges but nothing came out of the rumour and it was still business as usual.

    “Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has been doing well. He has been doing some good roads at Ayobo area. We will be happy if he can extend the ‘magic’ to the wooden bridges and open up the area to Ayobo. That will even enhance commercial activities from both sides.”

  • 14 bridges ready in Eko Atlantic City

    14 bridges ready in Eko Atlantic City

    The multibillion dollar Eko Atlantic City, being developed in Lagos State, has made significant progress in its infrastructural development with the completion of 14 bridges, its developer has said.

    The bridges, built to international standard, in phases one and two, extend to over five million square metres, representing half of the planned city.

    Work on the bridge started in December 2014, when the first bridge deck was cast and the last one completed last December.  Phases one and two of the city are divided into eight districts – Harbour Lights, Business Districts, Eko Drive, Marina, Ocean Front, Down town, Eko Energy Estate and Avenues.

    They are planned for mixed-use with commercial, residential, entertainment and leisure  to make the city a 24/7 environment. With the new bridges, all the districts are now accessible by road.

    The bridgeworks have formed a major element of the works and it has also enabled all major avenues to overpass the canal system running through the spine of the project.

    The bridges are between two and eight lanes. For instance, Bridge seven comprises a six-lane carriageway and is located on Avenue 1, thus defining the western boundary of the Business District, the commercial heartland of the city.  Spanning 52 metres overall in three sections, Bridge seven is typical of the design utilised throughout all bridges and comprises a reinforced concrete cast  with concrete piers and abutments.

    Also, post-tensioning techniques were employed on the horizontal deck to achieve the span required. The last bridge was constructed to overpass the canal entrance to the Soutwest Marina, defining the marine access to the Atlantic Ocean.

    South Energy Nigeria Limited (SENL), a subsidiary of the Chagoury Group, Managing Director, Mr David Frame, said the firm is committed to ensuring that the project is completed on schedule.

    “With the successful completion of all the bridges, all the major avenues within Phase 1 and 2 of the City are now fully interconnected, with the comprehensive road network of the City defined and all zones accessible,” he said.

    Last November, the first Eko Pearl Towers, a residential building in its Marina District, was unveiled.  Its inauguration by the Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode came months after the city’s Eko Boulevard opening, the country’s first eight-lane city road.

     

  • Expert to Lagosians: use pedestrian bridges

    The Director of Operation, DMS Security, Mr Emmanuel Onyekeh, has appealed to commuters in Lagos to always use the pedestrian bridges provided by the government to avoid being knocked down by vehicles.

    Speaking at the inauguration of “Operation use the bridge campaign” under the pedestrian bridge at Onipanu, at the weekend, Onyekeh said many lives have been lost in recent times, especially on the Ikorodu Road dual carriageway.

    According to him, besides the fact that climbing the bridges across the highway would save lives, “it is also a way of exercising the body”.

    He said the government was aware of the challenges being faced by in climbing the bridge from Eleyedeye and Onipanu, hoping that something will be done to address the problem.

    One of the residents in the area, Atere Abiola, expressed joy over introduction of the Operation use the bridge campaign, which he said would help reduce death on the highway.

    But a commuter, Chinedu Ugochuwkwu, described climbing the bridge as a waste of time.

    “I have to walk a distance from Eleyedeye to climb the bridge. The truth is that if there was no barricade, I would prefer running across the road,” he said.

    He also expressed concern about old people and the physically challenged that go through hell climbing the stairs as the bridge was not constructed to accommodate the aged and those with physical disabilities.

  • Building broken bridges

    •The Apapa-Ijora Bridge must be fixed without delay

    One of the more tragic paradoxes of Nigeria’s development challenge is the critical state of the country’s critical infrastructure. The Apapa-Ijora Bridge in Lagos is a pre-eminent example of the clear and present danger posed to the nation by its inexplicable failure to maintain the transportation, communications and power systems that are vital to the continued functioning of a modern state.

    The condition of the bridge is a grim testimony to decades of the malign neglect that characterises the national attitude to the maintenance of infrastructure. Much of the bridge’s asphalt overlays have been eroded by the elements, as are the concrete joints linking it to Wharf Road and the ramp linking it to Lagos Island and Iddo.

    Many of the pillars supporting the bridge have structural defects, caused by successive fires which have exposed the steel rods within them. To make matters worse, the bridge routinely bears the weight of hundreds of petrol tankers waiting to load supplies from the depots in Apapa.

    It goes without saying that the traffic situation on the bridge is horrendous. Motorists are compelled to either undertake a torturous negotiation of huge pot-holes and protruding steel rods on the bridge itself, or divert to service lanes and drive against traffic in their attempts to bypass the bridge.

    It is difficult to underestimate the implications of this tragic situation. The Apapa-Ijora Bridge is the spinal cord connecting Nigeria’s commercial nerve centres of Lagos Island, Iddo and the Apapa Central Business District (CBD), incorporating financial institutions, wholesalers, shipping firms and oil-marketing companies. It is the main entryway to the country’s two largest ports, the Lagos Port and Tin Can Island Port Complexes.

    Given the concentration of businesses in the area it serves, the poor condition of the bridge as well as that of the adjoining Oshodi-Apapa Expressway has resulted in the loss of thousands of man-hours on a daily basis. Accidents are common; an articulated truck fell off the bridge in July. The heavy traffic jams often facilitate criminal activities, especially the robbing of commuters at gunpoint. The environmental pollution resulting from the emissions of thousands of vehicles and the implications for the health of commuters and residents can only be imagined.

    If nothing is done to carry out the urgent renovation that the Apapa-Ijora Bridge so desperately requires, it will eventually collapse. The consequent loss of life and damage to property would be a major disaster unparalleled in the annals of Nigerian history, not to mention the logistical implications for the many businesses located in the areas served by the bridge.

    Immediate measures must be taken to repair the bridge. In 2012, the federal and Lagos State governments set up a technical committee to look at ways of regenerating the Apapa axis. It came up with 12 recommendations, including detailed plans for the rehabilitation of the major roads and bridges in the area. Even though the committee’s report was submitted to the National Economic Council in June 2012, nothing was done. The Federal Government must work with the Ambode administration to implement this plan, which represents the most comprehensive approach to resolving the Apapa crisis. Fixing the Apapa-Ijora Bridge alone will not solve the problem; an integrated approach incorporating rehabilitating roads, relocating tankers, reducing vehicular traffic, landscaping, sanitisation and demarcation is essential.

    Lagos State has had to struggle with the problem of dilapidated bridges over the past few years. Between July 2012 and February 2015, the Third Mainland Bridge, the Eko Bridge and the Marine Beach Bridge have all undergone extensive rehabilitation. In most cases, action was taken only when the state of disrepair became far too obvious to ignore. This cannot continue. The regular maintenance of infrastructure should become the norm rather than the exception.