[size=14pt]LAGOS STATE GOVERNMENT

THIRD MAINLAND BRIDGE REPAIRS AND DAILY VEHICULAR TRAFFIC DIVERSION PLAN.[/size]

Diversion Points;

1. University of Lagos Waterfront (towards Lagos)

2. Oworonshoki Interchange (towards Lagos)

3. Adeniji Adele Interchange (towards Oworonshoki/Toll Gate)

Daily Diversion Periods;

A. 12 Midnight to 12 noon

1. Vehicles approaching from Oworonshoki and Ikeja/Toll gate/Ikorodu Road end of the Bridge will have unhindered access to the bridge towards Lagos Island.


2. Vehicles from the Lagos end to the bridge (from Obalende, Ikoyi, Victoria Island, Lekki, etc.) will be diverted from the Third Mainland Bridge at Adeniji Adele Interchange towards Carter Bridge to link Iddo interchange.


From Iddo to connect Ikeja, Ojota, Ketu, Ikorodu, Agege, Lagos Ibadan Expressway, Agege, Alimosho, Oshodi, Abule Egba etc. via;


a. Herbert Macaulay Road to Jibowu to Ikorodu Road and on....

b. Herbert Macaulay Road to Jibowu to Agege Motor Road to Oshodi and on....

c. Eko Bridge to Funsho Williams Avenue to Ikorodu Road and on....

d. Eko Bridge to Funsho Williams Avenue to Agege Motor Road to Oshodi and on....

e. Ijora to Apapa to Apapa Oshodi Express Way to Oshodi and on....


B. 12 noon to 12 Midnight

1. Vehicles approaching from Oworonshoki and Ikeja/Toll gate/Ikorodu Road end of the Bridge will be diverted at Oworonshoki Interchange.

Through the Oworonshoki Expressway to

a. Ikorodu Road (via Anthony interchange) to Funsho Williams Avenue to Eko Bridge and on...

b. Agege Motor Road (via Oshodi Interchange) to Moshalasi to Jibowu to Muritala Mohamed's way to Iddo and on...

c. Agege Motor Road (via Oshodi Interchange) to Moshalasi to Funsho Williams Avenue to Eko Bridge and on....

d. Apapa Oshodi Express road to Mile 2 and on........


2. Vehicles approaching from the Lagos Island end to the bridge (from Obalende, Ikoyi, Victoria Island, Lekki, etc.) will have unhindered access to use the Third Mainland bridge



KAYODE OPEIFA, HONOURABLE COMMISSIONER

Repairs on Third Mainland Bridge begin today

By Our Reporter ⁠07/07/2012 01:00:00

•Traffic diversion takes effect tomorrow

Traffic diversion on the Third Mainland Bridge will start on Sunday as the repairs of eight weak expansions joints along the longest bridge in Africa starts today.

At an interactive session involving all interested parties held in Lagos yesterday to mark the official commencement of the repairs, the Minister of State for Works, Ambassador Bashir Yuguda said  "there will not be total closure of the bridge, but there will be restricted access during specific hours." 

According to the communiqué issued at the end of the interactive session, the condition survey and investigation conducted in 2007 by the Federal Ministry of Works revealed that "12 expansion joints were in need of repairs with four in very critical condition. The joints exhibited advanced decay of the sheer connectors linking adjacent decks and required urgent attention."

The repair works, awarded to Borini Prono & Co (Nigeria) Ltd  on December 14, 2011 at a sum of N1.055bn,  will take four months, that is, from today to November 6. 

Borini Prono did the repair of the four critically weak joints in 2008.

The minister said the incessant rain witnessed in Lagos in the last two weeks forced the suspension of the repairs which ought to have started on July 2.

The Managing Director of Borini Prono, Gianfranco Albertazz, during a technical presentation on the methods and stages of repairs, promised to finish on the deadline. 

The company completed the earlier repairs as scheduled from August 2 to October 2, 2008 and it believes the earlier experience will prove useful towards a timely and successful completion of the current repairs.

The Lagos State Commissioner for Transport, Kayode Opeifa, assured Lagos residents of a well-managed traffic, while the repairs last and advised them to always listen to the state-owned Traffic FM on 96.1 for periodical information on traffic management plan. 

The Third Mainland Bridge is the most important bridge in Lagos, Nigeria's economic centre, with an average of 180 vehicles accessing it every minute, according to a Federal Ministry of Works data. Therefore, residents are apprehensive of a possible traffic standstill that a closure of the bridge will cause.

Mr.Opeifa said: "In 2008, we had it difficult because many roads, including some of the alternative routes, were under construction, but those roads are good now. Oshodi is now passable. Muritala Muhammed Way was completed with a functional BRT lane. Therefore, we expect a lighter challenge now."

He further said: “Minor repairs are ongoing on many of the alternative routes, some busy bus stops that may cause traffic build-up are being reviewed,and 700 traffic officers are on standby to ensure hitch free management of the needed traffic diversion”.

Mr.Opeifa said there will be three diversion points along the bridge at UNILAG waterfront, Oworonshoki and Adeniji Adele Interchange. 

The repairs will be carried out in two phases to allow for limited access to the bridge. Motorists going towards Lagos Island will have unrestricted access to the bridge between 12midnight and 12noon because it is expected that more traffic will flow towards the Island during that period, while those moving towards the mainland will be diverted to Iddo and Ijora. 

Between 12noon and 12 midnight, motorists moving towards the mainland will have unrestricted access to the bridge, while those moving towards the Island will be diverted to the Ikorodu Road and Muritala Muhammed Way

http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/news/52975-repairs-on-third-mainland-bridge-begin-today.html

Please share your experience, how was your journey to work this morning; smooth or problematic.

Nigeria: Traffic Gridlock in Lagos As Repairs of Third Mainland Bridge Begins

By Geroge Okojie, 9 July 2012

Following the partial closure of the Lagos Third Mainland Bridge to give room for its anticipated repair, traffic congestion yesterday piled up on Ikorodu road , one of the routes billed to act as alternative route to the Lagos Island.

LEADERSHIP checks revealed that there was traffic snarl up on Ikorodu Road-Western Avenue-Lagos Island route the Ikorodu Road-Yaba- Oyingbo-Iddo-Lagos Island alternative routes fuelling the fear that today's traffic may be worse as more people hits the roads to the Island.

Motorists who spoke with our correspondent at separate interviews expressed concern over the traffic gridlock that would affect the routes when work begins today.

Mr. Chuka, a motorist said, "By tomorrow (today), only God knows how we are going to cope because it will be worse. This heavy traffic started all the way from Yaba, and on a Sunday we are still here. Government must be fully prepared to handle the situation or else it will be chaotic."

LEADERSHIP also observed that commuters who took the Bus Rapid Transit buses had a smooth ride to the Island, as the buses have dedicated routes plied only by the buses.

As a mark for full preparation for repair work, the contractors have moved their materials and equipment to site for full commencement of work .

Our correspondent observed that the bridge was yesterday closed partially from the Ebute-Metta interchange to Adeniji Adele, for the first phase repairs of the expansion joints, while the second phase which is on the Oworosoki bound will commence after the other part has been fixed.

Allaying the fears of motorists and commuters, the State Commissioner for Transportation, Comrade Kayode Opeifa, assured Lagosians of free vehicular movement, adding that the officials of the State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) had strategized traffic control measures that would ease vehicular movement on the bridge and alternative routes.

Opeifa maintained that the pains which Lagosians would experience during this period will be very minimal compared to that of 2008 when the same Bridge underwent repairs ,adding that many alternative routes to the Bridge that were not in good shape some years back had been constructed, with several others rehabilitated with the help of the State Public Works Corporation.

"This is not new. We have done it before in 2008, but now it will be better because the options are better with the construction of the other routes. The options are better as long as we drive safely and drive according to instructions," he added.

He urged motorists plying this route to always stay tuned to the Traffic Radio for timely update of traffic reports on and around the Third Mainland Bridge, emphasizing that the transportation that LASTMA officials and Police officers would be stationed at every point of diversion and interchange for adequate traffic control.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201207090214.html

The government should construct the fourth mainland bridge to ease the weight on third mainland.

I don't understand how people comment on complete topic.

Good one @ OP.

The roads are simple not adequate enough to accomodate all lagos motorists.

Mayb we go back to the days of Odd and Even number movements

The ultimate solution is multi-modal transport system (including rail and water transport).

[size=14pt]THIRD MAINLAND BRIDGE: Traffic gridlock paralyses business activities in Lagos •Commuters besiege rail, ferry stations[/size]

Written by Chukwuma Okparaocha, Lagos, with Agency Report

Tuesday, 10 July 2012

LAGOS residents, particularly users of the Third Mainland Bridge, on Monday suffered a lot of hardships as a result of the traffic gridlock that rocked the state, due to the ongoing rehabilitation of the bridge.


When Nigerian Tribune visited some of the sections leading to the bridge in the early hours of Monday, scores of people who were heading to their various offices, schools and business places were  stranded at  bus stops, while motorists were locked in massive gridlock that stretched over kilometres.

Even some places not directly linked to the bridge were not spared  this ordeal as evident in the way hundreds of people heading to CMS were stranded for many hours at the Lag Bus bus stop at Oshodi, under bridge area of the state.

At the Iyana Oworo end of the bridge, some of the stranded commuters, many of who, it was gathered, had been waiting for hours at the bus stop, were seen scrambling for the few available buses, while the number of people who had to stand in commercial vehicles, including BRT and Lag Buses, rose significantly.

Those who could not get any commercial bus had to resort to begging for free rides from private car owners.

Another fallout of the development was an unprecedented way at which the very few available commercial bus drivers shot their fares up, with a view to cashing in on the situation.

For instance, fares from Iyana Oworo to Obalende rose by about 100 per cent from N100 to N200, while that of Iyana Oworo to Eko-Idumota rose to N250. Commercial motorcycles riders were not also left out, as many of them were seen lifting passengers at exhorbitant prices.

Economic activities, especially on the Inland, were also affected, as many operators living on the Mainland, but who usually sell their wares or provide services on the Island were left bemused at various bus stops leading to the Island, even at a time when they ought to have been at their various duty/business posts.

However, apparently in a bid to manage the traffic and also help maintain law and order, some police officers, as well as workers of the Lagos State Transport Management Authority (LASTMA), who came with some towing vehicles, were observed to have been stationed at the Iyana-Oworo end of the bridge.

Apart from Iyana Oworo, there was also another gridlock from Charly Boy Bus Stop to Anthony and same could also be said about Ikorodu Road, where traffic jam was also experienced for several hours.

Meanwhile, a statement credited to the state Commissioner for Transport, Mr Kayode Opeifa, said “vehicles from the Lagos end of the bridge (from Obalende, Ikoyi, Victoria Island, Lekki) will be diverted from the Third Mainland Bridge at Adeniji Adele Interchange, towards Carter Bridge, to link Iddo interchange.

“Between 12 noon and 12 midnight, vehicles approaching from Oworonshoki and Ikeja/Toll gate/Ikorodu Road end of the bridge will be diverted at Oworonshoki Interchange to Ikorodu Road (via Anthony interchange) to Funsho Williams Avenue to Eko Bridge and on.”

Following the gridlock created by the repair works on the Third Mainland Bridge, commuters in Lagos, on Monday, besieged train and ferry stations.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that diversion of traffic on the bridge began on Sunday, following the kick off of the repair works by the Minister of State for Works, Mr Bashir Yuguda.

NAN visited the ferry and railway terminals in the state on Monday and reported that the diversion of road traffic had further put pressure on the two other means of transportation.

The Ijoko and Agbado terminals of the Mass Transit Train Service (MTTS) of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) were filled to capacity as early as 5.00 a.m for the 5.30 a.m train.

The already congested coaches were under pressure on Monday, as many passengers sat on the roofs, while others hung on the entrance and sides of the coaches.

Some commuters, who spoke to NAN, urged the management of the NRC to provide more locomotives and coaches, especially during the partial closure of the Third Mainland Bridge.

Water transportation also recorded a surge in passengers, following the partial closure of the bridge.

NAN reported that car parks provided by the waterways transport operators at Majidun, Ebute, Ijede and Baiyeku in Ikorodu area were jam-packed, as their owners took to ferry service.

An official of the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), Mr Edunola Adeola, assured commuters that the waterway was a safe and fast means of transportation, adding that safety measures had been put in place.

NAN reported that transport fares from Ikorodu to CMS or Victoria Island by speedboat is N600, while the ferry service costs N400.
The closure caused traffic gridlock in most parts of the city, resulting in the loss of many man-hours.

NAN reported that many workers and traders, who left their homes early to beat the anticipated road congestion, were still trapped in the gridlock.

Many workers and traders did not get to their places of work as late as 11.45 a.m.

The Balogun and Idumota markets on the Lagos Island were bereft of their early morning sales, as many of the traders were still in the traffic.

Some of the offices in Lagos Island, especially banks, were also affected.

Few workers and customers were seen in banking halls in the early hours of the morning.

Some traders, who shuttle daily from the Lagos Mainland to transact businesses on the Lagos Island, said they left their houses at 4.00 a.m to beat the traffic.

Others said they used the ferry services from Ikorodu to make it to Lagos Island early.

Some traders at the Balogun and Idumota markets, however, said it was too early to count losses.

Mrs Taibat Adegbite, a trader, said things were still normal, adding that “I think prices and fares are still normal.
Nothing has gone up except for the gridlock today coming to the market.”

“We cannot even say that business have been affected because it’s too early to ascertain, but everything has been good so far,” Adegbite said.

Mrs Funke Olajide, a sales representative, said that she used the ferry to get to the market on the Lagos Island.

“I stay in Ikorodu and I had to use ferry; none of our staff came late because we all took the ferry.

“Business is a little slow, but that’s how it is every morning. Business is still normal for now, wholesalers are still coming to make their orders,” Olajide said.

Mr Saheed Usman, a commercial bus driver, who operates from the mainland to Lagos Island, said the gridlock had not affected fares.

“The fare from here to Oworonsoki is still N150, but the traffic is slowing down our business because I should have gone three to four times but this is just my first trip at 10.25 a.m.

Mr Sunday Adesola, also a commercial bus driver, said also that the partial closure of the Third Mainland Bridge would affect his daily turnover.

Adesola said that the gridlock made transporters to spend more time on the roads, stressing that the bad condition of the Lagos roads had compounded the traffic situation.

He said that the alternative roads should have been rehabilitated before the partial closure of the bridge.

Mr Joseph Sunday, a commercial driver, said that his trip from Ikeja to CMS was extended by two hours because of the gridlock.

NANreports that in spite of the agony of commuters across Lagos, prices of food items and transport fares remained relatively stable.

http://tribune.com.ng/index.php/front-page-news/43905-third-mainland-bridge-traffic-gridlock-paralyses-business-activities-in-lagos-commuters-besiege-rail-ferry-stations

[size=14pt]Repair of Third Mainland Bridge Causes Pain for Lagos Motorists[/size]

Chiemelie Ezeobi

In spite of the repeated announcements of the repair work to be commenced on the Third Mainland Bridge, in Lagos, motorists still seemed caught unawares by the volume of traffic that almost froze the city for hours unend yesterday. Just everywhere and every route, the impact of the partial closure of the bridge was very visible.

The roads and streets were brimming, all day long. The peaks and troughs did not align with the usual rush hour traffic like lunch time or school runs, etc. From morning till very late last night, motorists managed to crawl through long routes tortured and frustrated.
Unarguably, the Third Mainland Bridge, which connects the Lagos Island to the mainland, is the longest bridge in Africa, snaking 11.8km-long on the edge of the Lagos lagoon. Its first phase was built by General Olusegun Obasanjo as military head of state in the 1970s and was completed in 1990 by former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida.

The bridge, which begins from Oworonshoki and terminates at the Adeniji Adele interchange, also connects midway to Herbert Macaulay Way, Yaba. Its partial closure yesterday, once again, demonstrated the importance of the bridge to the social and business life of Lagos.
The repairs being carried out by the contractors, Borini Construction Company, kicked off on Sunday and is expected to last till November 6. The outcome of the partial closure was the grinding traffic ordeal most motorists went through in several parts of the state yesterday.

The huge vehicular traffic has shown that the alternative routes announced by the Lagos State Government are certainly not enough to cater to the volume of traffic on the various routes. Some of the alternative routes as communicated by the state Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Kayode Opeifa, link the Island through Carter Bridge, Ikorodu Road, Ebute Metta, Western Avenue, Apapa-Oshodi Expressway through Ijora and Eko Bridge.

However, the alternative routes are plagued by several highway challenges. The Ebute Metta road, for instance, was particularly troublesome as many commercial bus drivers, were as usual, reckless as they blocked parts of the roads while they touted for passengers. The Ikorodu Expressway was not left out in the ensuing melee as many commercial drivers literally seized the service lanes.

THISDAY checks revealed that several officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) were at various points of the many routes to help direct traffic and ensure that the slow flow was neither breached nor blocked. Some 700 officers of LASTMA were said to have been drafted to monitor traffic throughout the duration of the repairs.

Expectedly, several road users lamented that the alternative routes were not properly managed, and urged government to go back to the drawing board to map out a lasting solution that would ease the suffering of motorists.

Speaking to THISDAY, Mr. Olateju Ogundipe said with the hassles commuters and motorists are already passing through just as the repairs had commenced, could only mean that it would get worse in the days and months ahead.

Another motorist, Kelvin Mbanusi, said: “When we said we were scared of this closure, we knew what we were talking about because on a normal day, the traffic snarl could last four hours, so you can now imagine how many hours we will spend in traffic with the repairs.

“As much as we laud the initiative to repair the bridge, we can’t help but groan at the loss of manpower and time. To beat traffic, it is either we leave our homes by 3 am as against the normal 4 am, or we will get stuck and as businessmen, time wasted means loss of patronage.”
Emeka Iloabuchi, who also spoke to THISDAY, said the traffic jam had made him resume late at work and caused him a reprimand from his boss.

He said: “The traffic snarl was so bad that I arrived work late. My boss could not care less about the traffic situation; he gave me the bashing of my life. To avoid a repeat performance, I would simply have to wake up earlier than usual.”

However, indomitable Lagosians seemed to quickly adjust to the situation by relying on both the Traffic Radio (96.1 FM) and the social media to get minute-by-minute update on the traffic situation on the best routes to takes.

According to Austyn Azoganokhai, the traffic was exhausting. On his tweeter update, he lamented that there was mad traffic approaching Sabo from Adekunle up to Agnes Junction.

However going by updates on the traffic situation, the Third Mainland Bridge was free at 5 pm as the diversion did not affect traffic flow from the island. The spillover from Ikorodu Road affected areas like Fadeyi, Ojota, Maryland and Town Planning Way, all the way down to Stadium bus stop. The traffic also extended to the Mushin area of the state as motorists rode bumper-to-bumper.

The Apapa/Oshodi Expresway as an alternative route also proved a trying task for road users as the buildup of traffic was tortuous. Failed portions of the road only helped to compound motorists problems.

Capitalising on the situation, commercial drivers and cab operators hiked their charges because fewer buses were available on the roads. Complaining bitterly, a trader on the Island, Udoka Onu, said the closure caused a sharp increase in transport fares, moaning that it will affect business. According to her, the sharp increase in prices will spill over to the cost of goods as they would not want to sell at a loss.

Alternative means of transportation like the ferry services, which were hitherto ignored, was explored by a lot of commuters. Commuters, who could not stand the traffic situation on the roads, simply moved to the jetties and took the ferries from CMS to either Apapa or Ikorodu and vice versa.

Some commuters urged the state government to liaise with ferry operators on how to increase the number of ferries plying the waterways, especially during this period when the major bridge leading to the island has been partially blocked.

The state police command, meanwhile, promised to intensify patrols to safeguard lives and properties. According to the command’s Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, motorists would be protected by the men of the force, adding that regular police patrols and plain-cloth policemen had been deployed all around the state.

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/repair-of-third-mainland-bridge-causes-pain-for-lagos-motorists/119716/