Third Mainland Bridge Closure: FG, Lagos Issue Travel Advisory

In line with plans to close the Iyana Oworonshoki-Adeniji Adele bound of the Third Mainland bridge for repairs from Tuesday, 9 January, the Lagos State government, on Thursday, issued a travel advisory to ease the burden of commuting and ensure seamless movement for residents. 

Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Oluwaseun Osiyemi, who made the disclosure, said the closure is part of the ongoing work that started in November 2023 with the fixing of the ramps, adding that the remaining parts of the bridge would also be repaired in phases.

Osiyemi informed residents that from 12 a.m. to 12 noon, the bridge would be open for Mainland Inbound Island travels, while those who intend to come from the Island to the Mainland are advised to use Eko Bridge.

“Conversely, from 12 noon to 12 a.m., motorists would be able to access the bridge from the Island to the Mainland while motorists from the Mainland heading towards the Island will have to use Eko Bridge,” he said.

Osiyemi noted that the timings were selected to match the peak period flow of traffic and reduce travel stress.

He urged road users to cooperate with the state’s traffic management officials throughout the duration of the repairs.

The Federal Government had earlier announced plans to close a section of the bridge from the second week of 2024 in two phases, with each phase scheduled to last for six weeks.

Federal Controller of Works, Lagos State, Mrs. Olukorede Kesha, who announced this in a statement, explained that the planned closure will commence from 11 a.m. on Tuesday, 9 January 2024.

Kesha disclosed that the first phase of the closure would be done on the Lagos Island-bound carriageway of the bridge.

“Consequent upon the above, motorists are hereby advised to use alternative routes and links, which include Ojota-Ikorodu Road-Funsho Williams Avenue-Eko Bridge-Apogbon-CMS and Ojota-Ikorodu Road-Jibowu-Yaba-Oyingbo-Iddo-Carter Bridge-CMS. Motorists can make use of Gbagada-Anthony-Ikorodu Road-Funsho Williams-Eko Bridge-Apogbon-CMS.

“Motorists are further advised to cooperate with the traffic management officials deployed to manage traffic and ensure hitch-free movements to minimise discomfort during this repair period. While thanking the general public for their past cooperation and understanding, more is expected this time,” the statement read in part.

The 11.8 km bridge has witnessed series of rehabilitation in recent times before the latest planned repairs.