Strategic Importance Of 3rd Mainland Bridge And Biting Effect Of Its Closure On Lagos Residents

Residents of Lagos state may need to endure the unbearable pain and biting effect that have greeted the closure of third mainland bridge which has already taken effect from Monday November 20, 2023.

The federal Government through the ministry of Works had announced on Friday that the bridge would be closed down in order to allow a comprehensive repair that will possibly last for five weeks. This was made known in a statement released by the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, Olukorede Keisha.

According to her, motorists are advised to use alternative routes while cooperating with the traffic management officials deployed to manage traffic and ensure a hitch-free movement.

While the development initially came as a soothing balm to the people of Lagos who felt that the bridge once it is fully repaired will allow a smooth ride from mainland to the island and vice versa, the reality of the announcement now seems to be turning sour to the road users since the commencement of the project.

Many motorists who have reasons to ply the bridge are currently groaning under the heavyweight of traffic snarl due to the inability of alternative route to freely accommodate the surge of traffic diverted from the bridge under repair.

 For these motorists, the closure is a monumental hardship on them and the government should have adopted measures that will lessen the pain on them, considering the strategic importance of the bridge to the business fortune of the state and her resident.

 “This is unacceptable any time, considering the strategic importance of Third Mainland Bridge to motorists in Lagos. The FG must come up with a less painful way to do this work beyond 100 percent closure,” a motorist, Peter Adedayo laments.

Also narrating her ordeal was Helen Ajakaiye who lives in Ojodu but works on the Island. According to her, she left the house around 5:30am but could not get to her office until a few minutes past 10am. She claimed that the stress is unbearable and called on government to address the situation before things get out of control.

Apart from the stress and pains of shuttling between the Island and the Mainland, the development has further led to another increase in Transportation Fare. According to motorists who ply the route, the painful effect of the closure and taking alternative route is staying longer in traffic and burning of more fuel than what they normally used on the road. This has automatically forced them to jack up the transport fare which already is a major source of concern since the removal of fuel subsidy.

Either partial or total, the repair of third mainland bridge has usually been greeted with gnashing of teeth and cacophony of lamentation by both the commuters and motorists in Lagos. This is due to the strategic importance of the bridge not only to Lagos state government but also to the federal government. As a bridge that connects the densely populated mainland to the eyebrow Lagos Island which houses one of the biggest markets in Africa, striking a balance between the people and government whenever the bridge is put up for repair is no longer an option but a necessity. 

With the strategic importance of the route to the economy of Lagos state and the livelihood of its residents, it is not enough for federal government to announce a repair work at a scheduled date on third mainland bridge, the plight of the people who travel to and fro the bridge to eke out a living must critically be put into view, in order not to further impose economic hardship on them in addition to what the removal of fuel subsidy has subjected them to.