No vehicle should ply Ijora, Apapa flyover bridge - Julius Berger cautions Gov Fashola

Bankole Makinde, Abuja - 25.05.2008

MANAGEMENT of construction giant, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, on Saturday sent a very strong signal to Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, admonishing him not to allow any vehicle ply the exit ramp of the ever-busy Ijora-Apapa Flyover Bridge so as to avoid human catastrophe.

The advice was borne out of the fact that a huge fire broke out beneath the bridge on Wednesday, January 10, 2007 which caused damage to the piers and underside of the elevated roadway, exposing the reinforcing bars where the concrete had fallen from the structure.

Following the ugly development, the Lagos State Government secured the services of the construction company to investigate and come up with recommendations on how to secure the flyover bridge.

Julius Berger, according to impeccable information at Sunday Tribune’s disposal, has already erected temporary supporting structures to bolster the damaged structure while investigations are being carried out with the active knowledge of the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA).

Sources close to the company said that a preliminary recommendation has been made to the Lagos State Government, that severe damage to the piers and superstructure of the exit ramp has resulted in an unsafe structure and that the recommendation of engineers from Julius Berger Nigeria Plc was that no vehicular traffic should be allowed to travel over the damage exit ramp until it was repaired. But this blockage has since been effected.