•Minister of Works David Umahi and a section of Carter Bridge, Lagos
The federal government has set a new 24-month timeline for the completion of the reconstruction of Lagos’ Carter Bridge, down from the initially slated 36 months.
Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, disclosed this yesterday during an inspection of the ongoing reconstruction of the Carter and Iddo Bridges in Lagos, reports Channels TV.
Umahi was accompanied by the Minister of State for Works, Mohammed Goronyo, and members of the National Assembly, including the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Works, Akin Alabi.
The minister said the decision to accelerate the project was driven by the strategic importance of Carter Bridge to vehicular movement in Lagos.
The 1.58-kilometre bridge has been in service for more than six decades with inadequate maintenance, resulting in significant structural deterioration, he said.
“Carter Bridge has stayed for over 60 to 70 years with no maintenance.
“The lifespan of every bridge is about 50 years, and what we found out from the underwater survey is that a lot of the piles had detached from the pile caps.
“It is like having the leg removed from the hip. There was also a lot of rust within the piles, while scouring and illegal sand mining contributed to the failure of the bridge,” Umahi said.
He said a new design had been completed for the reconstruction, incorporating engineering features intended to improve traffic flow and protect the bridge from future deterioration.
According to the minister, the redesigned bridge will feature additional ramps to ease congestion, while one carriageway will be constructed above the other.
A cable-stayed section will also be incorporated to provide sufficient clearance for navigation.
“Carter Bridge is 1.58km but you are going to see aesthetics, engineering and innovation.
“We are going to be flying one carriageway over the other, increasing the number of ramps to decongest traffic towards the ramp sections.
“We are also having a cable bridge to contain the 105 spans for navigational activities. It is going to be beautiful,” Umahi said.
The contractor handling the project, China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC), has completed about 15 per cent of the preparatory works, including the acquisition of a project yard and construction of access roads, the minister said.
He added that piling work was expected to begin before the end of the week.
Umahi also disclosed that additional measures, including the installation of gabions, would be deployed to protect the bridge foundations against erosion and scouring.
He said the existing Carter Bridge could not be completely shut during the reconstruction because of its critical role in Lagos’ transport network.
The federal government would therefore continue to monitor and maintain the existing structure until the replacement is completed, he said.
“If we close Carter Bridge, Lagos will go into katakata (chaos). That is why we are maintaining it while the reconstruction is going on,” Umahi said.
The minister said similar intervention measures were being implemented on the Third Mainland Bridge, with the aim of extending its service life by another 50 years.
Umahi expressed confidence that the reconstructed Carter Bridge could remain functional for more than a century because of the additional engineering features incorporated into its design.
He commended CCECC for the progress recorded so far and acknowledged the support of members of the National Assembly for the project.
