OLORUNDARE ENIMOLA, Lagos
David Umahi, the Minister of Works, has announced plans by Federal Government to commence emergency repairs on the Carter (Eko) Bridge in Lagos, stating that the work is part of a broader plan to address issues with underwater sections of the Third Mainland Bridge and Carter Bridge requiring an immediate closure.
The Minister of made the announcement during an inspection tour of the bridge on Saturday, saying, “We had a very terrible situation at Eko Bridge with one of the pier caps totally damaged, and was only told last night."
He added that a dredger hit the pier cap and destroyed the pier and many rods, explaining that Pier caps are to bridges what the legs are to human beings.
“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.
Umahi also said, that section of the bridge is held by rods only, with the roads also damaged also. I immediately directed divers to be deployed,” he said.
According to the minister, a whole pier was totally removed by the accident and he had to get into a smaller boat to go under the bridge to know the level of damage below the water, before directing 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 bearings have 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 handrails had been done.
Mr Thomas Christ, Regional Manager, West, Julius Berger Plc., the contractor handling 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 underwater 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 for the bridges.
He said that the company was intensifying efforts to finish the works as fast as possible and make the bridges sustainable.
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