Minister raises safety issues on Lagos Carter Bridge, hints at fresh construction

By Babajide Adekunle

 

Nigeria’s Carter Bridge may gulp several billions of Naira in planned reconstruction effort. Minister of Works, Dave Umahi implied this when led ministry’s officials to inspect the bridge on Wednesday.

As he said, the bridge had deteriorated while the Federal Government is trying to see if it can salvage the ailing road link between the Lagos Island and Lagos Mainland.

“What we did today is to see whether we can salvage the ramps, so that we cut down the cost of construction and the time of construction.

“That decision, we could not take.

“We need consultants and Berger to put their observations, and we have instruments we use to determine whether the observations are right or wrong.

“If the observations are as they have sent to us, then, it means that both the ramp and the main axial section of the Carter Bridge will have to go,” Umahi said.

The minister added, “Whatever we are doing, we have to consider removal of that so as not affect our navigational activities.”

Umahi also said that the Federal Government wanted to determine if it could still salvage somethings from Carter Bridge while taking a different alignment.

“The critical decision we have to take is: since it seems that all stakeholders are at peace that a new Carter Bridge should be constructed, is there any way we can salvage and repair something to be in use while we take a different alignment?”

Umahi, however, said that the government was not considering demolishing the existing Third Mainland Bridge and building a new one.

“The ministry is not buying the idea of a fresh Third Mainland Bridge, we will do everything possible to do rehabilitation of the bridge.”

Cornet News reports that the Carter Bridge, initially built in 1901 when Lagos was a colony of the British Government, but rebuilt in the 1970s, is one of Nigeria’s oldest bridge networks. It took its name from then governor of the Colony of Lagos, Gilbert Carter.