The Lagos State Government today opened the newly rehabilitated Odo Iya Alaro Bridge marking a significant step designed to ease the persistent gridlocks that have plagued the area.
Speaking through the Deputy Governor, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat at the opening of the rehabilitated bridge, Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu stated that the rehabilitation is in line with the commitment of his administration to ensure adequate traffic management and ease of transportation in the state.
The Governor reiterated that the state government has continuously maintained road infrastructures and put them in good shape for the benefit of commuters in the state.
While ascertaining the readiness of the bridge for public use immediately, the Sanwo-Olu enjoined the citizens to join hands with the state government, to assume the responsibility for the bridge by ensuring that they continue to protect the infrastructure. He further warned miscreants in the state to refrain from removing the newly installed manhole covers, as the state government would persecute anyone caught in such an act.
The Governor said, “The newly replaced manholes are now made of fibres and not metals, so this makes it useless to whoever takes it. Let the manholes be, they are there to protect human beings so that they don’t fall off the bridge, they are there for safety. And if anyone is caught removing the manholes from the bridge, such people will be prosecuted.”
Dr. Hamzat further commended all the stakeholders involved in the early completion of the bridge, as the rehabilitation works which ought to have taken ninety days was completed in 54 days. The Governor thanked the Office of Works, Infrastructure, Ministry of Transportation, the Lagos State Traffic Management Agency (LASTMA), and others for a job well done.
Earlier in his address, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Infrastructure, Engr. Olufemi Daramola explained that the rehabilitation of the Odo Iya Alaro (Ojota/Maryland) Bridge entailed the installation of new expansion joints and remedial works of the Odo Iya Alaro Bridge which has made it now motorable and ready for use.
He added that the bridge, which had been closed to traffic since July 22, 2024, was completed and reopened to traffic ahead of schedule because the government was eager to ease the suffering of road users in the corridor.
It would be recalled that work started on the Ojota-bound side of the bridge on 22nd July 2024 and finished on 23rd August 2024. While work commenced on the second phase, that is, the Maryland bound section on the 23rd of August, 2024 and finished on the 13th of September, 2024 which is the 54th day, after commencement.
