The Federal Government will not totally close the Iddo Bridge in Lagos State for rehabilitation and will also not review the cost of the rehabilitation in terms of rate because it was supposed to have been finished by the contractor, Julius Berger.
The Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi, revealed the position of the Federal Government on Wednesday while inspecting the bridge.
Umahi said that the bridge would be closed only on weekends for rehabilitation.
He noted that a contract for rehabilitation of the bridge was awarded in 2024 to Julius Berger Plc.
He said: “The major problem we saw is that a section of this bridge had a headroom of about 3.0 metres as against the 5.6 metres minimum that is allowed for headroom.
“We have a lot of big trucks hitting on the deck, which is very dangerous and poses a lot of problems to the structural integrity.”
Umahi also said that selling chemicals in some shops near the bridge posed dangers.
He said: “We also noticed that in the past, we had a lot of shops, and in some sections of the shops, they were selling chemicals.
“Then, a chemical burst into flames and got a lot of the bridge destroyed.
“The major issue is that the structural elements of the bridge have been affected, but we have gone through joint inspection, and luckily, it is only the cover to the structural elements that are affected – both under and by the side.”
Umahi said that the Federal Government would continue with the initial scope of work and do additional structural works to protect the major structural elements of the bridge.
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He added: “Also, the top of the bridge – the deck – has gone very bad.
“We have seen cracks everywhere.
“So, we have directed them to mill, and the milling is going to be only on weekends: Friday, Saturday, Sunday.”
The Minister said that another serious structural work to be done would be on the expansion joint.
He said: That will require total closure of the bridge – but at night and during weekdays also – because when you are installing the expansion joint, it runs from one end to the other.
“You cannot install it in pieces.”
Umahi said that the Federal Government would not review the cost of the project in terms of rates.
He said: “Of course, they must know that I am not going to change the rates because it has been long we mobilised them, and we expected the job to have finished.
“I think the job was for N5 billion.
“We expected it to have finished within six weeks.
“So, we will not review the cost of the project in terms of rates, but if there are other elements, as we have inspected, that are outside the scope, they will bring it up.
“We have asked them to give us any cost that is in addition to what we had scoped before.”
Umahi said that the days that the bridge would be closed would be announced to the public, adding that Lagos State residents would be given seven days notice.
He also said that alternative routes would be provided.
He added: “On the headroom that was 3.5 metres, we are going to be digging from a point.
“It is going to be a bit inconveniencing.
“We are going to put caution signs when we finish because when you are coming, you are descending into a slope, and when you are rising, you are rising onto a slope.”
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