The reassurance follows concerns raised about the presence of police operatives in these areas.

In a statement released by the command’s spokesperson, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, Fayoade addressed recent publications suggesting inadequate police coverage and potential collusion with criminal elements.

Fayoade emphasized that police officers in patrol cars and on bikes are deployed around the clock to key locations, including the Third Mainland Bridge.

He urged motorists and residents to utilize the police presence and report any suspicious or criminal activity immediately.

Commuters are advised to contact the police at the following numbers for emergencies: 09168631001, 09168631002, 09168631003, 09168631004, 08065154338, and 08063299264.

The Commissioner also affirmed that the safety and security of all residents and visitors remain a top priority.

The closure, supervised by Mrs. Olukorede Kesha, the Federal Controller of Works, Lagos State, marked the beginning of rehabilitation efforts on the bridge.

The closure is implemented at the intersection where motorists traveling from Ojota connect to the Third Mainland Bridge on the island-bound carriageway.

The Federal Controller of Works, accompanied by key officials including the Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Commissioner for Transportation, and Commissioner of Police, outlined the phased closure strategy.

According to Kesha, the closure will occur in two daily phases, with traffic diverted to different carriageways at different times. This approach aims to allow motorists access to the bridge while rehabilitation work progresses. The Mainland inbound lane will be open from midnight to noon, while the Eko Bridge will be utilized for those moving from the Island to the Mainland during this period.

Conversely, from noon to midnight, motorists will have access to the bridge from the Island to the Mainland, and those traveling from the Mainland to the Island will be directed to use the Eko or Carter Bridge. The rehabilitation work, encompassing the replacement of expansion joints and total asphalt replacement, is expected to last between six and eight weeks.

Kesha clarified that the closure is part of an ongoing project initiated in November 2023, focusing on fixing ramps and conducting repairs on various sections of the bridge, including the underdeck and lagoon portions.

The bridge, which was closed to traffic in November 2023, was reopened on December 21 to ease traffic during the Yuletide period.

The state Commissioner for Transportation, Mr Oluwaseun Osiyemi, in a statement said the closure was to allow the repair works of the Federal Ministry of Works to continue on some sections of the bridge.

He said the Iyana Oworonshoki-Adeniji Adele section would be closed for effective repairs of the entire section of the bridge.

The closure is part of the ongoing work that started in November 2023, focusing on fixing the ramps, and now, the remaining parts of the bridge will also be repaired,” he stated.

Osiyemi said arrangements had been made to ease the burden of commuting.

He said from 12 am to 12 noon, the bridge would be opened for Mainland inbound Island travellers, while those who intend to travel from the Island to the Mainland are advised to use Eko Bridge.

Conversely, from 12 noon to 12 am, motorists will be able to access the bridge from the Island to the Mainland while motorists from the Mainland heading towards the Island will have to use Eko Bridge.

“These timings have been selected to match the peak period flow of traffic and reduce travel stress.

“Please cooperate with our traffic management officials who will be helping out. Thanks for your usual understanding and cooperation. Let’s work together to keep our roads safe,” he said.

sections of the Oworonshoki-Adekunle and Lagos Island (Adeniji Adele)- Adekunle ramps of the Third Mainland Bridge were closed in November for repair and maintenance works.

The state Commissioner for Transportation, Mr Oluwaseun Osiyemi, said in a statement on Thursday that “parts of the Third Mainland Bridge which were closed last month will reopen today 21st December, 2023 by 6pm.

“Following essential maintenance, the entire bridge is now fully accessible to the public, ensuring smoother connectivity and safe commuting.”

Meanwhile, in a separate statement on Thursday, Osiyemi announced a three-night traffic diversion from 12 am (midnight) to 5 am from Thursday December 21, to Saturday, December 23 at Fadeyi inward long bridge, Alaka inward Stadium flyover, and Dorman Long Bridge inward Fadeyi.

The commissioner said the diversion was for the installation of truck barriers on the bridges.

“Consequently, motorists are advised to use the following routes during the nighttime installation of the barriers: During the installation at Alaka inward Stadium axis, motorists from Eko Bridge/Constain/Iponri inbound Ojuelegba/Alhaji Masha Road will be diverted to the service lane from Alaka via National Stadium gate to link Barracks or Alhaji Masha Road to continue their journeys.

Motorists from Eko Bridge via Costain and those from Apapa Road going through Iponri will make use of Iponri Estate Road to link Bode Thomas via Adeniran Ogunsanya to Shitta Roundabout for their desired destinations.

“During the installation at Dorman Long Bridge inward and outbound Fadeyi, motorists from Western Avenue inbound Ikorodu Road will be diverted to Empire Road/Jibowu to continue their journeys. Motorists from Western Avenue can alternately use Agege Motor Road to link Mushin and proceed to their desired destinations,” Osiyemi stated.

These closures will affect access to the Adekunle and Ebute Meta ramps for the next two weeks.

China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), the project contractor, initiated the closure at approximately 9 a.m. on Monday.

While the main deck of the 11.8km bridge remains accessible to traffic, the closed sections will undergo comprehensive repairs for the next two weeks.

Additionally, another three weeks will be allocated for the repair of the remaining two ramps, specifically the outward Adekunle to Oworonshoki and outward Adekunle to Lagos Island ramps.

To mitigate disruptions, motorists are advised to utilize alternative routes, including Ikorodu Road, Murtala Mohammed Way, Ojota, and Gbagada.

Olukorede Kesha, the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, reaffirmed that the Third Mainland Bridge ramp closure is intended for two weeks of extensive repairs.

During a recent visit to federal infrastructure projects in Lagos, Works Minister David Umahi stated that the entire bridge span would undergo resurfacing with minimal inconvenience to road users.

He noted that repair work would primarily take place during weekend nights.

The Third Mainland Bridge, one of the nation’s busiest, previously underwent maintenance from July 24, 2020, to January 24, 2021, for the replacement of bearings and worn-out expansion joints.

The Federal Controller of Works in Lagos State, Mrs. Olukorede Kesha, in a statement, said the government was ready to begin comprehensive rehabilitation works on the bridge, starting with repairs of the critical portions.

Kesha said the Federal Government wished to inform the motoring public that it was currently working on plans to carry out comprehensive repairs of the Third Mainland Bridge.

“However, in order to alleviate the pains currently being experienced on the bridge, the Ministry would be carrying out palliative works on the most critically failed sections along the Adeniji bound carriageway on Sunday, Oct. 22 preparatory to the comprehensive repair works,” she said.

She advised motorists to cooperate with the traffic management officials by obeying and observing all diversions as directed for seamless movement.

“However, motorists are encouraged to use alternative routes where possible during the period of the palliative works as the Adeniji bound of the bridge will be closed to traffic from Saturday, Oct. 21 to Sunday, 22nd 12.00 midnight,” she said. 

Teaming up with the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, this initiative aims to address the deteriorated sections of the bridge.

According to a statement from the state Ministry of Transportation, Permanent Secretary Abdulhafiz Toriola revealed that the repair operations are scheduled for two consecutive Sundays, specifically on September 17th and 24th.

These repairs will be conducted from 7 am to 7 pm on both days.

To minimize disruption for commuters, alternative routes have been established. Motorists heading from the Alapere/Ogudu area of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway towards Lagos Island will be rerouted towards the Gbagada-Oshodi Expressway.

This detour will lead them to Ikorodu Road/Funsho Williams Avenue, granting access to Eko Bridge and Lagos Island.

Likewise, those traveling from Lagos Mainland via Herbert Macaulay Road (Adekunle axis) en route to Lagos Island via the Third Mainland Bridge will be directed toward Murtala Muhammed Way. This route will guide them to Carter Bridge, providing a link to Lagos Island.

This proactive approach underscores the commitment of Lagos State Government and the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing to ensuring the safety and functionality of critical infrastructure like the Third Mainland Bridge.

Olanrewaju on Monday said the robbers numbering up to seven robbed him and other motorists in the Ido area, along the Third Mainland Bridge on Friday around 8.30 pm.

Olanrewaju, who is the Deputy Chairman of the African Action Congress in the state, said, “I was coming back from work at Lekki, so I drove down the Third Mainland Bridge towards Ido, close to Ijora Olopa where the incident happened. There was light traffic. Those guys were robbing two cars ahead of me already. I couldn’t reverse because there was traffic. I immediately wound up the glass to at least protect myself. But as soon as they finished with those two cars, I just heard sounds from the two sides of my car, they broke the side windscreen and began demanding my phone and other things. They entered and removed money from my safe. They had cutlasses and knives. One of them removed everything in my safe, and made away with my power bank, an iPhone 6, and a laptop.”

Olanrewaju said his ordeal was further compounded when he ran to the police station to report the incident and one of the policemen asked him to pay N3,000 for his report to be documented.

Another victim, Adetunji, who said he fell victim the same night, told our correspondent that he lost N15,000, a wallet, and his phone to the robbers.

“It was like a film. I have been hearing about these highway robbers but I never expected that I would be a victim. They took advantage of the traffic, came out of nowhere, and started breaking people’s windows, they removed the side mirror of my car. My phone, cash, and N15,000 were gone. I later got home to find out that my wallet was also not where I placed it in the car. They are small boys, some of them teenagers,” he said.

Contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, said the police in the area would review their strategy to improve security on the road.

The PPRO said, “We have linked him (Olanrewaju) up with the DPO and they are working hand-in-hand. He has given the DPO the necessary information that will help the DPO to review his anti-crime strategy in his domain.

“We are working on it and we believe that with the review of his strategies, such won’t happen again in that place.”

He added that the policeman that asked for N3,000 had been identified and invited to the headquarters while appropriate disciplinary action would be taken against her.

This follows the approval of funds by the Federal Executive Council at a meeting on Wednesday.

After this week’s Federal Executive Council meeting at the Presidential Villa, Babatunde Fashola, the minister of works and housing, briefed the State House reporters.

He stated that the 11 kilometers of repairs, which will span over a 24-month period, will include interchanges, ramps, and crucial links.

He noted that the action was consistent with Executive Order 11, which was signed by President Muhammadu Buhari in April 2022 and gave the nation’s national maintenance program legal standing.

The announcement comes just two weeks after the Lagos State Government announced it would carry out restoration work on the 32-year-old Bridge to fix the substructure and failing and peeled asphaltic portions.

However, Fashola argued that there will be no duplication of efforts.

The former Lagos State governor said the State’s Public Works Corporation will focus on the functional structure of the bridge such as the underwater piles, while the FG will undertake surface maintenance to treat potholes and restore missing guard rails.

He said “Council approved a fresh contract for the maintenance of the pavement of the third mainland bridge and this was approved in the sum of N6.28bn for a period of 24 months.

“I have been asked about the works that have been done on the bridge before. The works are concentrating largely on the substructure of the bridge; the underwater piles, the pile caps and also the replacement of the expansion joints and the bearings.

“These are maintenance works that are critical to the structural integrity of the bridge. What we’re dealing with now is different. It is the driving surface and also the aesthetics. Some of the rails have been stolen. Some of the pleats are misaligned at the routes that lead you on and off the bridge.”

Fashola added that there are no anticipated prolonged closures during the works.

Meanwhile, the council also approved N17.5bn variation for the contract for the construction of the old Enugu-Onitsha road whose current sum now stands at N48.99bn.

The accident happened at about 10.15am on Thursday, Feb. 16, around the UNILAG Waterfront end of the bridge.

It involved a Ford bus conveying food items from Mile 12 inward Lagos Island, a Toyota Camry and an Opel car.

A video from the scene shows an unconscious man lying on the road, surrounded by food items.

The spokesperson for the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, Taofiq Adebayo, confirmed the incident.

Adebayo said the Toyota Camry had a tyre burst while in motion, thereby colliding with the two other vehicles.

The other person sustained severe injuries and was taken to the hospital.

LASTMA officials and policemen from Oworonsoki police station were also on the ground to manage the traffic situation,? he added.