Bumpy, that’s still the word to describe the
reopened 11km-Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos. A drive through the recently
renovated bridge said it all.
After repairs on the expansion joints of the
bridge, the contractors patched some bad spots on the facility. But the effort
has further exacerbated the already bad situation. Built in the 1980’s by
Julius Berger and opened in 1990, the Third Mainland Bridge is the longest of
the three bridges connecting Lagos Island to the mainland, the other two being
the Eko and Carter bridges.
When our correspondent drove on the bridge on
Tuesday, respondents said that they could hardly feel or see any difference
from how the road was before the four-month closure and when it was reopened
last week.
They said that they found it difficult to believe
that over N1bn was spent on the bridge without the users noticing any striking
change.
Recently, the contract sum of N1,055,477,608.16
was awarded by the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Works, for the
rehabilitation of the bridge. The money was primarily for the repair of eight
expansion joints of the bridge.
The contractor began work on the bridge on July
6, 2012 and was expected to complete the job and reopen it by Nov. 6, 2012.
The repairs carried out by Messrs Borini Prono
Company Limited, involved hydro demolition of sections of the bridge deck,
removal of existing 11 joints, provision and fixing of new bars and
reinstatement of the deck.
It was gathered that the contractor employed
specialised technology, while the materials utilised, hydro-demolition machine,
and the technical expertise to execute the works, were all imported.
Due to the increasing number of potholes on the
bridge pavement, the contractor was instructed to cut and reinstate as many
potholes as possible before handing over the bridge.
At the junction leading to Ebute Meta, an auto
mechanic identified simply as Idowu, who shuttles the area in search of broken
down vehicles, served as the tour guide to our correspondent.
When he was asked to explain what the contractor
did during the repairs, he took our correspondent to one of the expansion
joints very close to the security post and explained what was done.
“Before, the two sides of the joint were not
close as they are now. The contractor broke the joint open, removed the old
iron and other materials and replaced them with new ones. In all, they did 11,
three on this side and eight on the other side.”
When he was asked whether he was aware that over
N1bn was the contract sum for the repairs, he exclaimed and unconsciously said,
“How much did the entire bridge cost when it was built?
“Anyway, I am only an auto mechanic looking for
how to fend for myself. If they say they spent N1bn, I believe they are right
because they are experts.”
He declined to be drawn into any discussion on
the contract sum when he was asked to comment on whether the job was
commensurate with the cost claimed to have been spent.
One respondent, who identified himself as
Lawrence, said that he did not understand the nature of work carried out on the
bridge.
He said, “I drive through the TMB everyday of the
week and I should know what I am talking about. I had expected that the
four-month repairs would change the total outlook of the bridge, but since it
was reopened some days ago, I have not noticed any change.
“Even during the partial closure, anytime I drove
on the road, I stuck out my neck to see what they were doing. I expected to see
a massive repair work going on, but there was nothing of that magnitude
happening.
“I did not see anything that could be described
as a serious repair work and when it was announced that the bridge was ready
for reopening, I started wondering what they did.”
Another respondent, Rasak Tajudeen, said at
Adeniji Bus Stop, that he expected the authorities to award a more comprehensive
contract than what was done on the TMB.
He said, “Apart from the expansion joints, I
expected that other major repair work would be carried out on other structures
such as the railings and general resurfacing of the entire road. But we still
have the same situation before it was closed for repairs.”
Our correspondent observed that the thudding
sound from passing vehicles as they sped over the joints and the rough surface
was very scary.
It was also observed that Federal Road
Maintenance Agency officials were working on the railings of the bridge on
Tuesday. Immediately after the reopening of the bridge, there was a controversy
that it was not ripe for use without proper work on the railings and street
lights on it.
But the Federal Ministry of Works was said to
have explained that other repair works would be carried out after the
completion of the 11 expansion joints.
FERMA Zonal Coordinator, South West II, Mr.
Oladipo Fagbamila, was said to have promised that more extensive maintenance of
the bridge would be carried out on a continuous basis.
Our correspondent gathered that the presence of
the FERMA workers was in fulfilment of the directive of the works ministry to
start the replacement of guard rails on the bridge before the end of the week.
On Wednesday, FERMA workers were still seen
re-laying some sections of the road with asphalt.
No comments:
Post a Comment