The newly constructed Ojota-Opebi Link Bridge in Lagos is structurally ready for use, but will only open to traffic about two months after President Bola Tinubu’s commissioning, due to unfinished aesthetic works, the state government has said.
Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotosho, made this known during an interview on Channels Television’s Morning Brief program on Tuesday.
“For road, there’s something that I as a layman can call the kind of gestation period. You don’t pour concrete today and then next day begin to live in a house or begin to jump on the bridge. No, we are allowing it to stay. These are technical details that only engineers can talk about,” Omotosho said.
He explained that while the bridge is ready for riding, engineers are insisting on completing certain aesthetic aspects before public use.
“If you saw people just ride on it, it’s ready today. But a road is beyond what can be used to ride on. The engineers will say we have to do this as usual time,” he added.
The commissioner confirmed that the bridge will be commissioned by President Tinubu on Wednesday, April 8, but may not open to the public immediately. “In about two months,” he said when asked when commuters can use the bridge.
The Lagos State Ministry of Transportation issued a traffic advisory on Tuesday announcing partial road closures during the commissioning events on April 8 and April 9.
The 5.04-kilometre bridge project was first conceived over 20 years ago during Tinubu’s tenure as governor of Lagos State and was revived by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in January 2022. It targets severe traffic congestion in Ojota, Maryland, Mende, Opebi, and Allen corridors.
President Tinubu is expected to commission six major projects during the two-day visit, including the bridge, the Lagos State Geographic Information Service building, the Lagos Multi-Agency Building in Alausa, the Lagos Fresh Food Hub in Abijo, the Tolu Schools Complex in Ajegunle, and the Maracana Stadium.
LASTMA personnel will be deployed to manage traffic during the events, and the government urged motorists to cooperate with officials and allow extra time for their journeys.
