Half of the Iddo Bridge in Lagos State will be demolished next week as part of preparations for its reconstruction, the Federal Government has announced.
The Regional Manager of Julius Berger Nigeria, Mr Thomas Christl, disclosed this on Sunday during an inspection of the bridge by the Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi.
Christl explained that three spans of the existing bridge are severely damaged and require replacement. To minimise traffic disruption, he said the two carriageways would be separated, with traffic diverted to one side while demolition and reconstruction take place on the other.
“Next week, we will shift traffic to one direction, after which one half of the bridge will be demolished and rebuilt. By the end of March, traffic will most likely be moved to the newly reconstructed side, allowing us to demolish and rebuild the remaining half,” he said.
He added that Julius Berger is also constructing an underpass beneath the bridge, noting that drainage works have already been completed, including the outfall to the lagoon.
“After the drainage works, we will remove the soil and lower the road level to achieve a higher clearance under the bridge so that trucks will no longer crash into it, which has been one of the major causes of damage,” Christl said.
Responding, Senator Umahi noted that the Iddo Bridge had previously suffered a fire outbreak caused by illegal occupants, which damaged three spans on both carriageways.
“Six spans are affected. We re-asphalted one carriageway to carry all traffic, then removed the three damaged spans on the other carriageway. After that, traffic will be diverted back while we demolish and rebuild the second carriageway,” the minister explained.
Umahi said the reconstruction project, estimated to cost N15 billion, is expected to be completed by June.
He noted that the bridge’s headroom, currently about 4.5 metres, falls below the minimum standard of 5.6 metres, adding that the reconstruction aims to meet the required clearance.
The minister commended Julius Berger for the progress made so far, including partial demolition and construction of a bypass route, but warned against delays.
“I have directed the supervising engineer to monitor the contractor closely and report to ensure that the project is completed as scheduled by June,” Umahi said.
He further assured that upon completion, the Federal Government would install closed-circuit television cameras under and on top of the bridge to monitor activities, similar to the surveillance system deployed on the Third Mainland Bridge.