Third Mainland Bridge for Closure On August 24

ABUJA (Sundiata Post) – Babatunde Fashola, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, has announced that the Lagos Third Mainland Bridge would be closed for three days for an investigative maintenance test earlier slated to begin on July 27, but which has been shifted to commence on August 24 and end on August 26.

Fashola in a statement issued on Tuesday  through his media adviser, Hakeem Bello, said the shift in the date was arrived at after due consultation with the Lagos State Government and wide deliberations with other relevant stakeholders, adding that the date 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.”

Speaking further on the efforts to decongest the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, Fashola said, “In  the short term, I have  directed the immediate deployment of trucks to the trailer park being constructed by the Ministry with the capacity to accommodate about 300 trucks while construction works for the shoreline protection continues.”

The statement said following the visit of the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, to Lagos in connection with the Apapa Port Gridlock, the Federal Government has further directed as a short-term measure a call-up system in the control of truck movement would be introduced, adding that it would be initially manual. He said  a long-term digital and ICT based system would be developed and deployed.
The Association of Truck Owners has agreed to manage the manual system with their members who are truck operators,  the minister government also said.