The decision for the closure of the road followed a tanker accident that occurred on the bridge on Sunday claiming two lives.

This was revealed in a letter signed by the Deputy Director, Highways, Federal Ministry of Works, K.Y. Ibrahim, to the Lagos State Government, soliciting the support of the state for the success of the job.

According to the letter: Ibrahim explained that the contractor handling that section of the expressway requested that the bridge be shut from Friday to Sunday in order to ascertain the bridge’s “serviceability state after the fire incident”.

“We now request the support of the Lagos State Government in terms of handling the expected high traffic volume that may be generated along the axis during the work and also to help evacuate the wreckage of the accident still on site.”

The Director, Planning, Research & Statistics, Dr. Famous Eseduwo  gave the reasons in Calabar at the opening of a four-day National Council on Works meeting with the theme ‘Infrastructure As The Pathway For Prosperity.’

He noted that the ministry has made more progress concerning  fixing the road than it has in the previous year

“The problems we have in the road sector are myriad and sometimes you won’t know that something is being done until maybe at a reasonable level when you have seen the signs on the ground.

“But I want to assure you that progress has been made from last year to now and we are still here because we have developed the perspectives of looking at our problems continuously. It’s a growing concern. So definitely, there are going to be challenges and we are there also to look at the challenges,” Eseduwo said.

The failed portion of about 600 metres stretching from the Kara Cattle Market end inward Berger Bus Stop would be completed by the second week of December. Director of Highways, South West Federal Ministry of Works, Mr Funso Adebiyi, said on Thursday that the target was to complete that critical portion of the road before Christmas when more people would be travelling.

According to him, by December 15, the road would be opened substantially for the Yuletide season to avoid traffic jam. He assured that the reconstruction would not suffer any financial hiccup as funds for the project was already domiciled with the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Agency (NSIA), adding that approval for release of such funds, rests with the President.

The Lagos-Shagamu interchange section is estimated to cost N113 billion. Adebiyi, while conducting journalists on tour of the road, revealed that plans have been concluded to ensure smooth operation, indicating that traffic diversion on that portion would begin by September 2. According to him, palliative work had been done on some portions around the area of diversion to ease traffic for commuters.