The Federal Government is working to complete reconstruction of the Carter Bridge in Lagos within 24 months instead of the 36 months initially scheduled for the project.
The Minister of Works, Sen. Dave Umahi, disclosed this on Monday while inspecting the reconstruction of the Carter Bridge and the Iddo Bridge in Lagos.
The minister was accompanied by the Minister of State for Works, Sen. Mohammed Goronyo, and some members of the National Assembly, including the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Works, Mr Akin Alabi.
Umahi said the Federal Government was accelerating work on the bridge because of its importance to movement of vehicles in Lagos.
He said the bridge, which is about 1.58km long, had remained in use for more than 60 years with inadequate maintenance, leading to serious structural problems.
“Carter Bridge has stayed for over 60 to 70 years with no maintenance.
“The lifespan of every bridge is about 50 years, and what we found out from the underwater survey is that a lot of the piles had detached from the pile caps.
“It is like having the leg removed from the hip. There was also a lot of rust within the piles, while scouring and illegal sand mining contributed to the failure of the bridge,” he said.
The minister said the government had completed the new design for the bridge and introduced features that would improve traffic flow and protect the structure from future damage.
According to him, the new bridge will have additional ramps to reduce congestion, while one carriageway will be constructed above the other.
He said a cable-stayed section would also be introduced to provide adequate clearance for navigation.
“Carter Bridge is 1.58km but you are going to see aesthetics, engineering and innovation.
“We are going to be flying one carriageway over the other, increasing the number of ramps to decongest traffic towards the ramp sections.
“We are also having a cable bridge to contain the 105 spans for navigational activities. It is going to be beautiful,” Umahi said.
He said the contractor, China Civil Engineering Construction company (CCECC), had completed about 15 per cent of preparatory work, including acquiring the project yard and constructing access roads.
According to the minister, piling is expected to commence before the end of the week.
The minister said the government was also introducing additional protective measures, including gabions, to protect the bridge foundations from erosion and scouring.
Umahi said that Carter Bridge could not be closed completely during the reconstruction because of its importance to vehicular movement.
He said the Federal Government would therefore carry out regular monitoring and maintenance of the existing structure until completion of the new bridge.
“If we close Carter Bridge, Lagos will go into katakata (chaos). That is why we are maintaining it while the reconstruction is going on,” he said.
Umahi also said the Federal Government was applying similar measures on the Third Mainland Bridge, adding that the intervention was designed to extend its lifespan by another 50 years.
He expressed confidence that the new Carter Bridge would last for more than 100 years because of the additional engineering features being introduced.
The minister commended the contractor for progress made so far, and thanked members of the National Assembly for their support.
Earlier, the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, Mr Olufemi Dare, told the minister that the contractor had mobilised to site and was constructing access roads.
He said the contractor’s yard had also been established, while piling work was expected to begin soon.
Dare also briefed the minister on the progress of work on the Iddo Bridge.
He said three spans of the bridge — spans 13, 14 and 15 — had failed completely and had been replaced.
“Three days ago, we completed the casting, and the bridge has also been elevated, giving us very good headroom underneath
“In another 10 days, after the concrete has cured, we will open this section to traffic and close the other section, after which demolition will start immediately,” he said.
Dare said that other components of the Iddo Bridge project were also progressing, with drainage and Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement (CRCP) works about 90 per cent completed.
He expressed confidence that the Iddo Bridge intervention would be completed within two months.
Sen. Allwell Onyesoh, who was in the minister’s entourage, described the reconstruction of Carter Bridge as timely, noting that Lagos had experienced significant population growth since the bridge was originally constructed.
Onyesoh said the National Assembly would support measures necessary for the successful completion of the project.
The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Works, Mr Akin Alabi, said the reconstruction was long overdue.
He said that the bridge ought to have been rehabilitated and expanded many years ago.
He commended Umahi for commitment to the project, and expressed confidence that its completion would benefit Lagos residents and Nigerians generally.
