Why Lagos Will Close Marine Bridge on Wednesday for 5 months

The Lagos State government, has explained that it plans to close the Marine Beach Bridge, Apapa, to vehicular movement on Wednesday, May 27, to enable an urgent repair of the bridge which was long overdue.

The state Commissioner for Transportation, Dr Frederic Oladeinde, in a statement in Lagos, said the partial closure will be for 5 months effective from May 27 to Oct. 21.

He said motorists inward Wharf Road would be diverted to the other section of the Bridge, outward Apapa.

Oladeinde added that a contraflow of 200 metres had been designed for vehicles to realign with a proper direction inwards Apapa.

The statement read in part: “The repair by the Federal Ministry of Works is long overdue and is vital for the safety of the people of Lagos State, especially motorists that ply the bridge to access different parts of the state.

“The repair work has been planned in two phases.The first phase will be handling the lane inbound Apapa while the second phase will be designated to work on the lane that conveys vehicles outside the axis.

“Necessary palliative works have been carried out on all alternative routes around the construction site to make them to be in good condition to ease movement during the construction period.“

According to him, the partial closure of the Bridge by Total Gas, inward Apapa, would last for five months.

The commissioner said that the repair was in line with the vision of providing a seamless transportation system in the State.

He warned residents to cooperate as operatives of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority would be stationed at the construction locations to ease traffic.

There were plans earlier to close the Marine Bridge, partially from March 28 to Aug. 15 for repair.

However, on March 28, the ministry suspended the plan due to the COVID-19 pandemic.