FG may shut Eko Bridge carriageway

The federal government may completely close a carriageway on the Eko Bridge in Lagos State due to damage to about eight piles.

The Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, Olufemi Dare, disclosed this at a press conference on Tuesday in Lagos.

He said the closure would require approval from the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi.

“If he agrees with our recommendations, a carriageway of the bridge may be completely shut to traffic,” the official said.

Mr Dare said the move followed a recent joint inspection of the bridge by consultants, contractors and officials from the Federal Ministry of Works, which revealed that about eight piles on the bridge were badly damaged.

Piles are the long, deep vertical columns (concrete, steel, or wood) driven or drilled into the ground or seabed to create a strong foundation for the bridge.

Mr Dare said that the damage of the piles posed a huge risk to users of the bridge.

Mr Dare attributed the damage largely to activities of miners and scavengers, saying that some of the piles had lost their concrete covering, leaving only exposed reinforcement.

He said that the minister of works would visit Lagos for a further assessment of the bridge and to take a final decision on the recommendations.

On Carter Bridge, Mr Dare said the structure had exceeded its serviceability lifespan and had been declared irredeemable.

He confirmed that Carter Bridge would be demolished and reconstructed.

“It has been in the public domain that Carter bridge will be demolished.

“It has exceeded its serviceability limit and cannot be redeemed. A new bridge will be constructed,” he said.

He said that a rigorous bidding process involving major construction firms had been concluded on the reconstruction, with China Civil Engineering Construction Company emerging the preferred contractor.

According to him, the minister will, during his visit, officially hand over the project to the contractor.

Mr Dare also said the minister would inspect the Marine Bridge—where defects were recently observed despite ongoing construction—to determine necessary interventions.

He said the minister would equally assess the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project implementation.

“The Section One of the coastal highway has reached about 98 per cent completion. Motorists can now travel about 47km from Ahmadu Bello Way to Eleko on concrete pavement,” he said.

Mr Dare said that the minister’s visit would provide an opportunity to take critical decisions on the projects to enhance safety and improve infrastructure delivery in Lagos State.

This is coming days after the works minister, Mr Umahi, announced the federal government’s approval of the demolition and reconstruction of the Carter Bridge at a cost of N548.98 billion, citing severe structural deterioration beneath the water.

Mr Umahi, announced the decision last Thursday after the Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja.

He said multiple technical assessments conducted over more than a decade found that the bridge’s underwater piles and pile caps had deteriorated beyond repair, leaving full reconstruction as the only viable option.

“We convocated a stakeholders’ engagement, and all the technical experts all over the country, and even internationally, all agreed that we could not redeem Carter Bridge, and it has to be completely demolished and rebuilt,” he noted.