The Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos State is the longest of three bridges connecting Lagos Island to the mainland, the others are the Eko and Carter bridges. It was the longest bridge in Africa until 1996 when the 6th October Bridge located in Cairo was completed.
The bridge starts from Oworonshoki which is linked to the Apapa-Oshodi expressway and Lagos-Ibadan expressway, and ends at the Adeniji-Adele Interchange on Lagos Island. There is also a link midway through the bridge that leads to Herbert Macaulay Way, Yaba.
The bridge was built by Julius Berger Nigeria PLC. Phase one of the project was commissioned by President Shehu Shagari in 1980 and completed by President Ibrahim Babangida in 1990; it measures about 11.8 km in length.
The road has now become a deadly trap for motorists from Lagos island to the mainland.
Recently, there have been rumours of cracks and potholes on the bridge. The eight-lane bridge is in a bad situation.
The Third Mainland Bridge has very high vehicular traffic on weekdays, as many residents commute to and fro from the Lagos Mainland to the Island, which is the commercial hub of Lagos State.
Residents in Ikeja, Agboyi-Ketu, Ikorodu, Isheri, Oworonshoki, Gbagada, Yaba, Maryland and Oshodi often use the bridge on their daily commutes.
The Third Mainland Bridge is an essential part of Lagos’ daily commuting, and as such requires to be constantly renovated.
It has also come to be a major Lagos icon, offering different views of Lagos— the Lagos lagoon, the University of Lagos waterfront and Makoko, a Shanty town built on the Lagos Lagoon.
There has been series of crashes on the highway, and this has called the attention of the State government and the federal government road maintenance Agency (ferma).
On 6 July 2020, the Third Mainland Bridge was shut down for six months due to repairs.
The bridge was to undergo another round of repairs from Friday, July 24, 2020, to January 24, 2021, for the replacement of bearings and worn-out expansion joints.
It was a black Sunday on 25th of September 2022, in Lagos when a commercial bus caught fire, killing seven passengers while others were injured due to avoiding portholes and undesignated holes on the highway,
According to the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), it was discovered on arrival at the scene that a commercial bus with 14 passengers was on fire. The Bus was a Mazda with registration number KJA 699 GY.
Furthermore, a Lagos socialite and former National Coordinator of the defunct Presidential Committee on Police Equipment Fund, Chief Kenny Martins, had raised the alarm over the deplorable condition of the 3rd Mainland Bridge in the state , describing it as “Murderous Neglect”.
Mr. Martins made the observation over the weekend in a Press statement signed by him, and made available to the newsmen in Lagos on Sunday.
He added that both the federal and Lagos state governments should urgently do something about the problems which had in recent times caused avoidable and painful loss of lives, fractured limbs and destruction of material resources estimated at several millions of naira.
Lagos State Government, on Thursday, Jan. 28 2021, announced plans to totally close the Third Mainland Bridge to all traffic for three days.
The closure, according to the government, commences from Saturday, January 30 – February 1, 2021, to enable completion of repair works on the double-sized expansion joints without any interruptions, particularly, from vehicular movement on the bridge.
The Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Frederic Oladeinde, in a statement, assured that the bridge repair works are being done assiduously to ensure that the set deadline for reopening the entire bridge to motorists is met, explaining that alternative routes have been identified for use by road users to access their desired destinations.
While affirming that Traffic Management personnel will be deployed and stationed along the affected routes to minimize and address any traffic impediment during the closure, the Commissioner appealed to road users to cooperate with the State Government in its efforts to ensure improved mobility through the free flow of vehicular movements on roads.
As of this day, The Lagos State government says repair work on the Third Mainland Bridge was to take place on Sunday, April 2 from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.
This was declared on Saturday by Fredric Oladeinde, the state’s commissioner of transportation. Oladeinde stated that the actions were in response to a notification that the Lagos State Public Works Corporation was prepared to fix the bridge’s identified failed/peeled asphaltic sections.
Oladeinde, however, assured motorists that the State’s Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA would be fully on the ground to direct traffic to ameliorate the possible inconveniences.
He therefore urged motorists to be patient as the measures taken are aimed at providing quality and safe road infrastructure for everyone.
Recall that the Lagos State Government had declared a traffic diversion August 14 2022, for the repair work on sections of the Third Mainland Bridge with eroded asphaltic sections on the bridge.
In an interactive session with one of the commuters, Mrs Olagbade Adenike, where she shared her griefs on the bad situation of the highway filled with potholes and now scary to journey on, Because it’s getting more worsen day by day due to more much movement on the road,
She said that the Lagos State Government should please get involved into it before it gets more complicated.
Road users are seeking the involvement of the Federal Government Road Maintenance Agency and, the Lagos State Government to find a responsive solution to this highway before it gets more discouraging and puts the life of fellow Commuters on the line.