Motorists, commuters lament poor state of 30-year-old bridge

The sorry state of Eko Bridge in Lagos has become a source of worry for thousands of motorists and commuters plying it daily. Stakeholders claimed that the dilapidating state of the bridge has been responsible for prolonged traffic jam, damage to vehicles and the stress commuters encounter on the bridge as they travel to and from Lagos Island.

The Eko Bridge or Second Mainland Bridge is a crucial link between Lagos Island and mainland areas including Surulere, Anthony and Ikeja. Many have blamed poor state of the bridge on lack of proper maintenance through the years.

Narrating his harrowing experience when plying the bridge, an insurance broker on Broad Street, Lagos, Mr. Ayo Olugbenga, said big gaps created by the bridge’s worn expansion joints have affected his vehicle badly and made the route a nightmare for him and his colleagues.

Apart from the stress of having to endure the traffic jam due to poor state of the bridge, he said passing through some spots when climbing the bridge from Iponri and Costain and when descending from Apongbon to link upper Marina has become an unpleasant experience to motorists.

He said that motorists have to slow down at the locations of the expansion joints and bumps, leading to huge traffic jam as they struggle to outwit each other. The most notorious gap is located about the chimney stacks of the old PHCN Ijora Power Station Another commuter, who identified herself simply as Alhaja Bilikis Aruwajoye, said gaps in the expansion joints have spoilt her car’s shock absorbers on at least three occasions. Besides, she said with the look of things, the bridge is becoming dangerous for users.

Expressing disgust over the state of the bridge, a journalist Mr. Frank Obi, had a bitter experience yesterday as he was plying the bridge to attend a meeting when the front tyre of his car ruptured as he drove over the expansion joint gap at Ijora.

Our correspondent, who toured the bridge reports that some of the expansion joints that were exposed had widen more than normal while the iron coverings for the joints had fallen off, creating big gaps at intervals which motorists have to drive over.

Some of the gaps are six inches wide in some areas. At one section, some of the railings at the pedestrian side of the bridge are missing, while few ones that are available have been damaged and have not been replaced. One could not ascertain when last a routine maintenance of the bridge was carried out.

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