‘Lagos will go into katakata’: Umahi explains why Carter Bridge can’t close

‘The Federal Government says it plans to complete the reconstruction of Lagos’ Carter Bridge within 24 months, bringing forward the original 36-month completion schedule.

Minister of Works, Sen. Dave Umahi, disclosed this on Monday during an inspection of the Carter Bridge and Iddo Bridge projects in Lagos. He was accompanied by Minister of State for Works, Sen. Mohammed Goronyo, and members of the National Assembly, including the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Works, Mr Akin Alabi.

Umahi said the decision to accelerate the Carter Bridge project was driven by its importance to Lagos’ transport network.

The 1.58km bridge has been in service for more than six decades, with years of inadequate maintenance contributing to serious structural deterioration.

“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,” he said.

Umahi said a new design had been completed, incorporating features aimed at improving traffic movement and protecting the structure against future deterioration.

He said the redesigned bridge would have additional ramps to ease congestion, while one carriageway would be elevated over the other. A cable-stayed section would also be introduced 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 minister said the contractor, China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC), had completed about 15 per cent of preliminary activities. These include establishing the project yard and constructing access roads.

He added that piling was expected to begin before the end of the week.

Additional measures, including the installation of gabions, will also be used to protect the bridge foundations from erosion and scouring.

According to Umahi, the bridge cannot be shut completely during construction because of its strategic importance to Lagos.

“If we close Carter Bridge, Lagos will go into katakata (chaos). That is why we are maintaining it while the reconstruction is going on,” he said.

He said the government was adopting a similar approach on the Third Mainland Bridge, where ongoing intervention was aimed at extending the structure’s lifespan by another 50 years.

Umahi expressed confidence that the reconstructed Carter Bridge would remain functional for more than 100 years because of the additional engineering measures incorporated into its design.

He also commended the contractor for its progress and thanked members of the National Assembly for supporting the project.

Earlier, the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, Mr Olufemi Dare, told the minister that CCECC had mobilised to the site and commenced access road construction. He added that the contractor’s yard had been established and preparations were underway for piling.

Dare also updated the minister on the Iddo Bridge project, saying three spans, numbered 13, 14 and 15, had completely failed and were subsequently replaced.

“Three days ago, we completed the casting, and the bridge has also been elevated, giving us very good headroom underneath.

“In another 10 days, after the concrete has cured, we will open this section to traffic and close the other section, after which demolition will start immediately,” he said.

Dare said drainage and Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement (CRCP) works on the Iddo Bridge project were about 90 per cent complete.

He expressed confidence that the intervention would be completed within two months.