Five months after a section of the Ijora/Apapa Bridge was closed for repairs, the Federal Government has reopened it for vehicular movement.
The closed section of the bridge was opened at about 6pm on Friday when the Federal Controller of Works, Lagos, Mr Adedamola Kuti, declared it open for public use.
According to the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Hallekem Limited, the project contractor, Haim Halle, the repair of the 325 metres stretch of the bridge was completed in five months, instead of the one- year contract period.
The Ijora Bridge was closed for repairs and fortification following the partial completion of work on the two-kilometre stretch of the road leading into Apapa.
The bridge links Apapa to other parts of the Lagos metropolis through the Wharf Road.
Prior to the closure, there were calls by concerned commuters over the state of the bridge, which carries heavy traffic including articulated trucks conveying petroleum and other products from the depots at the Apapa Port.
The Federal Government also commenced the resurfacing of the Third Mainland Bridge, on Friday, to ensure hitch free movement during the festive period.
Kuti said it was part of a maintenance exercise to keep the bridge in good condition, adding that work would begin on the repair of the piles in January.
He added that the expansion joint repairs would also commence in the early part of next year.
Kuti explained that the milling and resurfacing work, which were not part of the original contract for the renovation of the bridge, were to ensure safe driving on the bridge.