The three-day closure of the Third Mainland Bridge for investigative maintenance test earlier slated to begin on July 27, 2018, has been shifted to August 24, 2018, the Federal Government announced on Tuesday.
According to the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, the closure of the bridge, which was earlier scheduled between July 27 and July 30, will now start from August 24 and end in August 26, 2018.
Fashola said the shift in the date was arrived at after due consultations with the Lagos State Government and wide deliberations with other relevant stakeholders.
He said, “The shift was done in order to give succour and relief to the people of Lagos State and other inter-state road users and support the efforts of the state government.”
On the efforts to decongest the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, Fashola stated that in the short term, he had directed that there should be an immediate deployment of trucks to the trailer park being constructed by the ministry.”
He said, “The park has the capacity to accommodate about 300 trucks, as construction works for the shoreline protection continue.
The minister stated that the ongoing palliative work on sections of Apapa-Oshodi road and the construction of the road leading to Apapa Port from Ijora, would soon be completed.
He said the main exit route through Tin Can- Oshodi-Oworonshoki was under procurement for award, adding that when completed, the project would enable free flow of traffic in the area.
The Federal Government also stated that as a short term measure, a call-up system in the control of truck movement would be introduced and that it would be manual initially, while the long term digital and ICT based system would be developed and deployed.
The government stated that the Association of Truck Owners had agreed to manage the manual system with their members who were truck operators.
