Opebi-Ojota Link Bridge Will Be In Use Before Christmas, Says Sanwo-Olu

Lagos State governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has said the Opebi-Ojota link bridge will be ready before Christmas.

Sanwo-Olu revealed this yesterday when he inspected the level of work on the bridge and find out what is delaying the completion after the earlier promise that the bridge would be in use by September.

He said, “This bridge was completed earlier in the year, and at one of the media gatherings, I did mention, based on the work plan that I was told, that it would be ready for use by the end of September. This is the end of October, and we haven’t completed it. So, as a responsible governor, I have to come and find out: what is the cause of the delay?

“This is what we conceived to put together an architectural masterpiece on this Opebi Bridge. And what is the architectural masterpiece? To replicate what this area has been known for: the cane market. So, we went with an elaborate steel drawing design that will replicate four hands of cane—weaving of canes, right?

“You all know this place as Odo-iya alaro, and we also wanted to bring back the historic nature of this place so that we don’t lose our culture, we don’t lose the history, and we’ll remember what and how we got to where we are. So, just for the benefit of people who don’t know, that’s how this design came about.

“But you know, engineering is about innovation. It’s about ensuring you design what no one else has designed and create something no one else has created. So, this is a site in which we are installing over 300 tons of steel at heights of up to 25 meters. You can see some of the welders up there, like they are on a 10-story building, right?

Each of the finger has four components.

“You can see that three have been fully completed, and they are trying to hinge it, and the fourth one, which is behind you, will also start.”

He said the work is almost 80 per cent complete and that they will need a few more days to install the fourth one.

“Thereafter, they’re going to even put an LED screen, and the colours of Lagos are going to come up at the end of the day to make it truly, really an iconic piece that will depict what Lagos stands for, and will be one of the landmark infrastructures in Lagos again,” Sanwo-Olu said.