There was a heavy traffic gridlock on Wednesday along the ever busy Oshodi- Apapa expressway after a portion of the pedestrian bridge at Five Star bus stop collapsed.
Eyewitnesses said the cause of the collapse was the impact the bridge suffered after an articulated truck carrying heavy duty equipment collided with it causing a portion of the bridge to give way to the ground and thereby, causing a significant hitch to vehicular movement.
Nosa Okunbor, spokesperson to the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency LASEMA said rescue team of the agency and other rescuers upon knowledge of the accident raced to the scene to evacuate debris of the bridge from the expressway to pave the way for seamless traffic flow.
He added, “Upon arrival of the Eagle Response Team at the scene by 0650hrs, LRT discovered a partly-collapses pedestrian bridge, with it’s fallen portions shutting down half of the expressway.
“Preliminary investigations conducted by the LASEMA Response Team revealed that an unknown articulated truck conveying heavy duty equipment collided with the pedestrian bridge earlier in the day which resulted in the cracks and collapsed portions from the bridge.
“Fortunately, no loss of life, no injuries were reported due to the incident. Response efforts was coordinated by LASEMA in collaboration with other responders. Traffic Management and Control Measures has been activated in collaboration with LASTMA.
LASEMA heavy-duty equipment-giant forklift was activated to evacuate the impediment in order to avert all probable secondary incidents. The entire bridge has been cordoned-off by the agency’s Response Team.
Decommissioning efforts of the remaining concrete members of the pedestrian bridge has been kick-started to ensure public safety.
“The agency’s heavy duty equipment (Goliath) is in the process of evacuating the impediment off the road to avoid secondary incidents. Ensure complete removal of all concrete members on the road. Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA),” the agency disclosed.
