Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the governor of Lagos State, has made a plea to the people of Lagos on the hardships caused by the closed Independence Bridge.
According to reports, Governor Sanwo-Olu stated that although the bridge’s closure was unfortunate, it was required to save the lives of its users.
During his visit to the bridge on Thursday morning, the governor spoke to reporters and asked Lagos residents to back the government’s efforts to make the bridge safe for drivers.
Road users could risk plunging in the sea if ongoing construction on the Independence Bridge is not started, he said, because it is already old.
He said: “I believe it is fair to start by expressing my sincere regret to all of our residents and Legosians for the extremely challenging and incorrect practices that we encountered throughout the city and on the island of Lagos over the past 24 hours. This apology, in my opinion, is crucial so that we can fully accept responsibility for our people’s duty at the national and subnational levels of government. And regrettably, it was all done with good intentions, for worthy causes, and to help us deal with the impending catastrophe. However, you are aware that there is probably never a perfect moment to do everything you wish to do. Even if you believe that now is the ideal moment to accomplish these tasks, there will always be obstacles. The builder has a contract, so that’s what happened here. In order to protect the Independence Bridge’s integrity, this deal was signed more than three years ago.
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One of the nation’s oldest bridges is Independence Bridge today. You should definitely check the Independence Bridge, which connects Victoria Island from the Bonny Camp to the Marina side of Lagos Island. It’s probably around 80 or 90 years old. And throughout the entire corridor, it has been the oldest. However, there has been a serious threat to this approach end, which runs from Victoria Island into Marina.
The first thing the builder had done in the previous few years was to stabilize the area underneath, which is hidden from view. Underneath the bridge, they have installed several sheet pilings to preserve and uphold its integrity. The actual problem is that the bridge has a 15–20 m span that is supported by nothing.
It’s sitting on nothing because erosion has eroded beneath it over time. Therefore, that is a disaster that is simply waiting to happen. God forbid, you’ll end up in the water if a section of the bridge suddenly collapses. They have been discussing the optimum time for us to move in and find a permanent solution to this issue.
