By Lukman Olabiyi
Lagos State government yesterday reopened the Ojota and Maryland sections of the Odo Iya Alaro Bridge and read riot act over infrastructure abuse.
The newly rehabilitated bridge was reopened by the state’s deputy governor Dr. Obafemi Hamzat on Monday’s afternoon.
Hamzat while reopening of the bridge to traffic, lamented incessant stealing of manholes cover in the state.
To curb the menace , he said the state resorted to the use of fibres to fabricate manhole covers instead of steel, saying anyone caught stealing the manhole covers will be prosecuted.
Hamzat said: “everybody is saying that maintenance of infrastructure is a challenge but in Lagos we are saying it is not, this informed our decision to maintain this infrastructure and put it in good shape. The expansion joints which are necessary accessories for bridges are now repaired and in good shape and all the manholes that were stolen have been replaced , But it is important for me to say that these new manhole covers are fibres not metals. So if you take it, it is useless. But the manhole covers protect people. It is to protect human beings so that they don’t fall off bridges, this is a safety issue . It is no-longer steel. It is fibre , it is difficult to remove but if you able to remove it, it’s useless to you, it is not glass not metal and if we catch you we prosecute you.’’
He said the administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu focussed on road and bridge infrastructure to reduce travel time – save important man-hours that would have been otherwise lost to traffic; boost interconnectivity; provide better riding surface; eliminate traffic gridlocks and generally make life more meaningful to commuters in Lagos State.
The deputy governor added the current administration places a high premium on the safety of lives of the people , saying many pedestrian bridges have also been identified for routine maintenance.
Hamzat noted that the wilful abuse and pilfering of road infrastructure furniture has re-enacted the need for zero tolerance for a recurrent spate of misuse of roads and bridges across the state.
He said to ensure the sustainability of the recently repaired sections of the bridge and boost efforts at revamp roads, bridges as well as the massive abuse of government infrastructure, the state government has resolved to tackle infrastructure abuse and other security threats brought about by the misuse of its numerous roads and bridges head-on.
The Special Adviser, Office of Infrastructure Engineer Olufemi Daramola said the bridge which had been closed to traffic for months was completed and re-opened to traffic ahead of scheduled time because the government was eager to alleviate the suffering of road users.
It would be recalled that work started on the Ojota-bound side of the Bridge on 22nd July 2024 and finished on 23rd August 2024. while work commenced on the second phase, that is the Maryland-bound section on the 23rd of August, 2024 and finished on the 13th of September, 2024, which is fifty-four days after commencement.