By Jide Ajia
The Federal Government through the Ministry of Works has announced a plan to commence the repair of damaged expansion joints of the Long Bridge along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.
According to a statement signed by the Federal Controller of Works, Lagos, Mrs Olukorede Keisha on Friday, the repair would commence from 7 a.m. on Monday, March 4 to March 25, 2024.
Kesha said commuters leaving and entering Lagos through the Long Bridge will be narrowed to two lanes on both sides of the bridge to enable the contractor handling the repair works to commence works on the other two lanes of the carriageways.
The statement read, “The Federal Ministry of Works wishes to inform the motoring public that repair works for the damaged expansion joints on the Long Bridge will commence by Monday, 4th March 2024 simultaneously on both bounds of the bridge.
“Consequently, traffic leaving and entering Lagos through the Long Bridge will be narrowed to two lanes on both sides of the bridge to enable the contractor handling the repair works to commence works on the other two lanes of the carriageways.
“Thus, all road users are advised to be patient and adhere to lane discipline on both approaches to the Long Bridge and around the narrowed sections on the bridge.”
To ease the traffic during the repair period, Kesha explained that the earth road beside the Shagamu bound carriageway would be made motorable, to serve as a complimentary road, while advising other road users to use alternative routes.
“Motorists are further advised to cooperate with the traffic management officials deployed to manage traffic and ensure hitch-free movements to minimize discomfort during the duration of the repair works.
“While thanking the general public for their continued cooperation and understanding, please note that all inconveniences are highly regretted,” Kesha added.
In October, motorists slammed a construction company, Julius Berger Nigeria Limited, over the repeated temporary repair of the damaged joints on the Longbridge section of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
The company commenced construction work on the bridge on Tuesday, September 26, 2023, as they patched the open joints.
The five-kilometre bridge stretching from the Warewa end of the expressway to OPIC, Ogun State was among the sections of the expressway reconstructed by the company when the project started.
