The Lagos State Government has finalized arrangements to initiate prompt repair activities on the heavily utilized pedestrian bridge at Alapere Estate Bus Stop, situated along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
The state government also closed down the bridge to public use due to safety concerns. Commissioner for Transportation, Oluwaseun Osiyemi, made this announcement following a collision involving a container-laden truck that occurred in the early hours of Thursday.
Osiyemi said, “As the state government attaches to the safety of lives of the people and considering the strategic importance of the ever-busy pedestrian bridge at Alapere/Estate Bus Stop on the Third Axial Road, will commence immediate commencement of construction works on the damaged bridge.”
Osiyemi stated that the ascent to the bridge has already been cordoned off, with additional traffic personnel set to be deployed for intermittent traffic halts, allowing pedestrians to pass safely. Additionally, visual displays will be implemented at night to enhance pedestrian safety during the rehabilitation period.
He mentioned that signage and visual displays will be installed as contingency measures to alert pedestrians and other commuters while investigations are conducted and repair works are underway.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Infrastructure, Engineer Olufemi Daramola, emphasized an immediate assessment of the bridge to facilitate integrity tests on the substructure. This assessment will determine the extent of damage and guide the reconstruction efforts needed to ensure the bridge’s continued safe use.
Earlier, Sola Giwa, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, coordinated traffic response activities at the damaged bridge site. He urged commuters to exercise caution and warned that drivers acting recklessly would face prosecution under existing laws.
Eyewitness accounts attribute the bridge damage, constructed 11 years ago, to the impact of a container-laden truck attempting to pass under the bridge with a load exceeding the provided headroom, causing adverse effects on both vehicular and pedestrian traffic.