Fashola: Apapa bridge will be reopened in ‘a few days’ 

Fashola: Apapa bridge will be reopened in 'a few days' 

The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, on Thursday, said construction works on the Apapa Bound Lane of the Marine Beach Bridge have been completed and the section would be opened to traffic “in a few days”.

Fashola, while inspecting the bridge on Thursday, directed officials of the Ministry of Works and Housing to adopt measures against street trading that sparked the fire that destroyed the bridge several years ago leading to its degeneration.

While inspecting ongoing construction on the Apapa bound lane on the top of the bridge, the contractors on the project explained that work was ongoing beneath the bridge while vehicles plied the top.

The Minister, who commended the level of technology being applied, warned against allowing illegal activities under the bridge.

“You have to ensure no trading or illegal activities take place here again, in the first place that was what caused the fire that damaged this bridge,” he said.

He appealed to residents and other stakeholders in Ijora and Apapa to desist from abuse of the bridge.

The over 40-year-old Marine Beach Bridge was damaged by a fire incident and repair work was first awarded for it in 2012.

It went through another round of six months repairs in 2017, before the current ongoing rehabilitation that began in phases in 2020 with the entire repairs expected to be completed in March 2021.