ABUJA, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)-The Federal Government has announced plans to demolish the damaged sections of the Iddo Bridge in Lagos next week to enable reconstruction work.
The Minister of Works, David Umahi, made this known on Sunday while inspecting the bridge alongside officials from Julius Berger Nigeria Plc.
He explained that three spans on each carriageway had suffered severe damage, bringing the total number of affected spans to six.
“Six spans are affected. What we have done is to re-asphalt one of the carriageways so that we drive that traffic totally over there and then remove the three spans of one carriageway.
“Then we can divert the traffic back and demolish the second carriageway,” he said.
Umahi disclosed that the rehabilitation project would cost approximately N15bn and is expected to be completed by June.
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He noted that part of the challenge is the inadequate headroom, which currently stands at about 4.5 metres instead of the required minimum of 5.6 metres.
“Part of the problem is that the headroom is about 4.5 metres high, but the minimum should be 5.6 metres high; so, we are trying to achieve that minimum headroom,” he stated.
The Regional Manager of Julius Berger Nigeria, Thomas Christl, explained that one side of the bridge would be demolished and reconstructed once traffic is diverted to the other side.
“Three spans of the existing Iddo Bridge are heavily damaged and need to be replaced.
“What we are doing at the moment is that we are separating the two lanes the two directions and next week, we will shift the traffic to one direction and one half of the bridge will be demolished and rebuilt.
“When this is done, by the end of March, most likely, we will shift the traffic on the new side of the bridge and demolish this side of the bridge and rebuild this bridge,” the manager said.
He added that drainage works and the construction of an underpass had commenced, while the outfall to the lagoon had already been completed.
“After the drainage works, we will remove the soil and lower the road level so that we have a higher clearance for the bridge, so that no trucks can crash into the bridge anymore, which was a main reason for the damage on the existing one,” he added.
Umahi further revealed that closed-circuit television cameras would be installed beneath and above the bridge upon completion of the project, similar to installations on the Third Mainland Bridge.