WorldStage Newsonline– Nigeria’s Minister of Works, Sen. Dave Umahi has called for immediate closure of the waterway between Eko Bridge and Carter Bridge due to damage on Eko Bridge by dredging activities.
Umahi made the call during an inspection tour of some bridges in Lagos State.
He urged Lagos State Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu to enforce the closure to prevent further accidents.
” The dredger that hit pier cap and the pier tumbled and they sunk,” the minister said.
He said that the driver of the dredger or its owner had been arrested, adding that the Federal Government would take a decisive action on that because the damage was much.
“I also saw a very serious dredging along Third Mainland Bridge, notwithstanding that the Federal Executive Council, about four months ago, banned dredging along 10km radius from all bridges in Nigeria.”
” I am shocked that dredging is still taking place.”
The minister said that dredging near bridges undermined their structural integrity.
Umahi also appealed to members of the public to avoid parking and loading on bridges.
He emphasised the importance of safeguarding lives of Nigerians and the country’s road infrastructure.
The Minister during an inspection tour of the bridge said, “We had a very terrible situation at Eko Bridge with one of the pier caps totally damaged, and again, I was only told last night.
According to the minister, a dredger hit the pier cap and destroyed the pier and many rods.
“Pier caps are to bridges what the legs are to human beings.
“What is holding that section are only rods. Some of the roads were damaged also.
“I immediately directed divers to be deployed,” he said.
He said that he also got into a smaller boat and went under the water to know the level of damage below the water.
According to the minister, a whole pier was totally removed by the accident.
“I was going to announce shutting down of the bridge but I have looked at it and there is something we can do, though very delicate, to restore it.
“There will be no need of shutting down but it is an emergency situation,” he said.
He said that he had directed the contractor handling the bridge repair on what to do.
The minister, who also inspected the Third Mainland Bridge, expressed satisfaction at the progress of work there.
“We have inspected the Third Mainland Bridge, and Carter Bridge, both being handled by Julius Berger, and we are satisfied with the work.
“I can say that the work on Third Mainland Bridge is about 50 per cent completed, and that of Carter Bridge, about 70 per cent completed.”
He said that the slab on the Third Mainland Bridge had deflection compelling its closure against articulated vehicles.
Umahi said that Julius Berger insisted that there was a new design to tackle that and would want designers from the Federal Ministry of Works to go with its team to Germany to look at the new design.
“We will nominate four people who will go to Germany and look at the new design method and then, we will approve,” he added.
Earlier, Mr Ghassan Kaadi, the Project Coordinator for Build Well, the contractor handling the Eko Bridge rehabilitation project, said that the project was 75 per cent completed.
“All the asphalt has been done. All the bearing has been changed.
“We are changing, right now, the remaining of the expansion joint.
“We have 1,000 meters of expansion joint. We are at 700 right now.
“The solar light, is almost 90 per cent done,” he said.
He added that 2,500 metres of the 6,000 concrete handrail had been done.
Mr Thomas Christ, Regional Manager, West, Julius Berger Plc., the contractor handing Third Mainland Bridge and Carter Bridge repairs, said that the company was aware of how critical the bridges were in connecting motorists and commuters from Lagos Island to Lagos Mainland.
“ That is why we are working here with the best engineers from the Federal Ministry of Works.
“We did some investigations under water and above the water on the quality and the structural integrity of the bridges.”
He said that Julius Berger was working with engineers from the Federal Ministry of Works to find out the best solution to the bridges.
He said that the company was intensifying efforts to finish the works as fast as possible and make the bridges sustainable.
