Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Governor of Lagos State has said that Eko bridge had to be closed because some portions were bad, and it was no longer safe for public use.
The Governor in company of state government officials and the Federal Controller of Works, Adedamola Kuti, said this when he visited the Costain area of Iganmu for inspection of the defective portion of the bridge on Wednesday. He said the bridge was partially closed after he received report on its condition on the need for a thorough engineering investigation to be conducted, which would lead to repair works.
“These are bridges that are not also made for us to have dead weight on them and what do I mean by dead weights, all the heavy truck and containers that we parked on them. They are not designed for usage,” Mr. Sanwo-Olu said.
On his part, the Federal Controller of Works said repair works needed to be done on worn-out bearings between Alaka and Costain portion inwards Apongbon of Eko Bridge.
“This is Eko Bridge and we just discovered that the bearings are gone, especially on this particular pair. So the bearings are broken and we are having problem with bridge deck. As a matter of fact, the bridge is no longer safe for public use.
“And so pending further detailed investigation, we need to carry out detailed, we need to carry out detailed investigation: an assessment of this particular bearing and all that, then we will be able to now give you further information on what we can do, but for now the is not safe for public use.
“So it has to be shut down at the early hour of today, to allow for detailed investigation before we can allow members of the public to make use of it,” Mr. Kuti said.
The Governor said that although the bridge is a Federal Government asset, the State Government had a responsibility to maintain them for the use of the residents.
Motorists have been advised to follow alternative routes.
Eko Bridge is one of the three bridges connecting Lagos Island to the mainland. It was constructed in phases between 1965 and 1975 by Julius Berger.
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