FG orders immediate closure of Ijora-Olopa bridge for repairs

The Federal Government has directed the immediate closure of the Ijora-Olopa Bridge following the discovery that some miscreants have tampered with the major reinforcement elements of the deck from underneath which led to the failure of a section of the Bridge along Ijora Olopa Road, beside Water Corporation, Ijora.

The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Communications, Mr. Hakeem Bello, identified the failed section as the Ijora-Olopa inward Ijora-Oloye–Apapa Road.

According to the Statement, Roads leading directly to the Bridge such as Costain inward Eko Bridge and Carter Bridge descent inward Ijora Oloye have, as a result, been closed to traffic from last night.

Working with the Lagos state government and other traffic management authorities, the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos has also issued the following Traffic Advisory to ensure that motorists and other members of the commuting public are able to use alternative routes.

—From Eko Bridge motorists should take IGANMU/ SIFAX to Ijora-Oloye or Apapa

—From Iddo to Ijora-Oloye/Apapa; traffic will be diverted at the intersection underpass at Ijora Olopa on contraflow, and reconnected at the U-Turn to Ijora-Oloye or Apapa.

The Minister of Works and Housing had repeatedly requested that illegal squatters vacate under-bridges in Lagos because frequent fires and other illegal activities there frequently cause significant damage to the essential infrastructure that was built with the nation’s limited resources.