by Oge Okonkwo

The Eko bridge in Lagos state has become a cause for concern as its shabby state has become a source of worry for thousands of commuters and motorists plying the bridge on a daily basis.

Stakeholders have claimed that the prolonged traffic jam, damage to vehicles and the stress commuters undergo travelling to and from Lagos Island can be attributed to the slowly deteriorating bridge, blaming the sorry state of the bridge to lack of proper maintenance.

The Eko bridge also called the second mainland bridge, is a an important link between Lagos Island and the mainland areas including, Anthony and Ikeja.

Nigerian Eye reports:

Narrating his harrowing experience when plying the bridge, an insurance broker on Broad Street, Lagos, Mr. Ayo Olugbenga, said big gaps created by the bridge’s worn expansion joints have affected his vehicle badly and made the route a nightmare for him and his colleagues.

Apart from the stress of having to endure the traffic jam due to poor state of the bridge, he said passing through some spots when climbing the bridge from Iponri and Costain and when descending from Apongbon to link upper Marina has become an unpleasant experience to motorists.

He said that motorists have to slow down at the locations of the expansion joints and bumps, leading to huge traffic jam as they struggle to outwit each other. The most notorious gap is located about the chimney stacks of the old PHCN Ijora Power Station Another commuter, who identified herself simply as Alhaja Bilikis Aruwajoye, said gaps in the expansion joints have spoilt her car’s shock absorbers on at least three occasions. Besides, she said with the look of things, the bridge is becoming dangerous for users.

Expressing disgust over the state of the bridge, a journalist Mr. Frank Obi, had a bitter experience yesterday as he was plying the bridge to attend a meeting when the front tyre of his car ruptured as he drove over the expansion joint gap at Ijora.

Our correspondent, who toured the bridge reports that some of the expansion joints that were exposed had widen more than normal while the iron coverings for the joints had fallen off, creating big gaps at intervals which motorists have to drive over.

Some of the gaps are six inches wide in some areas. At one section, some of the railings at the pedestrian side of the bridge are missing, while few ones that are available have been damaged and have not been replaced. One could not ascertain when last a routine maintenance of the bridge was carried out.
Under the Apongbon end of the bridge traders have taken over with vegetable sellers competing for space with those who deal in clothes, shoes, table wares, wines, vegetables and household items. It was gathered that high cost of rent at Ebute Ero and Balogun markets was responsible for their continued stay under the bridge. They are not there for free anyway, but with a fee.

One of the traders, who did not want his name mentioned, however, said anybody could only be allowed to do this after paying an unspecified amount of money to certain individuals.

When reporters contacted the Office of the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos at the weekend, the Deputy Director in charge of Highways, South- West Department, Mr. N.U.O Ukpong, an engineer, said the office had been notified about the state of the bridge and would do something about it. He said: “We will send officers from the field office to go and carry out investigation of the bridge.

We are going to write a report to the headquarters.” Inasmuch as the office would have love to move to action immediately, he said it was constrained with funds as there are many other projects begging for attention.

Apart from Eko Bridge, he said the investigation would be extended to include Carter Bridge, which was the first to be constructed during the colonial era. Our correspondent gathered from another source that the Federal Government undertook the underwater inspection of Eko Bridge along with the Third Mainland Bridge to ascertain the state of their structural elements, which had hitherto not been inspected since the bridges were constructed decades ago.

While noise was made about the Third Mainland Bridge, which led to its repair at a whooping N1.1bn in 2012, Eko Bridge and others were left unattended to. Speaking on the danger posed by the bridge, former President of the Nigerian Institute of Structural Engineers, Mr. Victor Oyenuga, said: “Any facility that is not maintained will deteriorate and fall”. He advised the government to ensure that maintenance exercise carried out on Third Mainland Bridge is extended to Eko Bridge and others. He added that the infrastructure has just 50 years lifespan.

“The Minister of Works, Mr. Mike Onolomemen, should look into it and investigate the condition of the bridge.” Another engineer and former Chairman, Nigerian Society of Engineers, Lagos Branch, Mr. Olatunde Jayesimi, said the dilapidated state of the bridge has damaged many vehicles. “Nothing one will say that has not been said; everything borders on maintenance culture.

When infrastructure has a little fault, government does not pay attention to it until disaster occurs,” he said. He said that when the bridge was constructed over 30 years ago, there was maintenance manual attached, urging government to look at the manual and do the needful to ensure the facility is safe for users. Eko Bridge is the second of the three bridges connecting Lagos Island to the mainland.

The bridge starts from Alaka on Funsho Williams Avenue on the mainland and ends at the Apongbon area of Lagos Island. The lagoon section of the bridge spans a distance of 430 metres.

The bridge and its landward extension of 1,350 metres were constructed in phases between 1965 and 1975. It serves as the preferred access point for vehicular traffic approaching Lagos Island from the Apapa and Surulere areas of Lagos.