Journey time on 3rd Mainland Bridge improves by 70 percent

Apart from the recent measures taken by the Lagos State government to ease the hydra-headed traffic gridlock, there are very indications that the negative impact of the hike in pump price of petrol, biting Forex regime and high cost of buying vehicles may have contributed to free flow of traffic on the Third Mainland Bridge.

Following the completion of the multiple lay-bys at Iyana-Oworo bus stop along the Third Mainland Bridge, travel time for commuters from Lagos Island to the Mainland has significantly reduced from an estimated three hours to about 25 minutes at peak periods.

Over the years, the perennial traffic gridlock along the 11.5 kilometer corridor has continued to be a recurring decimal and a source of security and safety concerns to many road users, many of whom have been attacked and their belongings dispossessed by armed robbers during high traffic flows.

It would be recalled that while conducting journalists on an assessment tour of the axis to see the impact of the lay-bys on the traffic gridlock on the bridge., Dayo Mobereola, Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, described the lay-bys as parts of the measures put in place by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode administration to unlock the traffic gridlock on Third Mainland Bridge and other parts of Lagos.

According to the commissioner, “The gridlock often experienced before the new lease of life was caused by the vehicles that drop passengers on the road. We have emergency lay-by, lay-by for cars, staff bus, LASTMA ‎ Park as well as Emergency Park’’.

Mobereola regretted that the problem with transportation in Lagos is the traffic at the junctions‎. He disclosed that the state government is assessing the situation in a holistic manner. As at the time of filing this report, authorities at the Ministry Of Transportation is working of modalities to address the traffic challenges for those moving towards the Lagos Island.

Investigations reveal that during early morning hours, traffic begins to build up even at Gbagada axis. The commissioner stated that by creating ‎lay-bys on that axis, traffic would be drastically reduced; adding that such can be tackled in a holistic manners.

Giving more insight into the project, Bolaji Bada, Director, Transportation Engineering of the Lagos State Ministry of Transportation, said, the lay-by was designed to accommodate 36 cars, 18 coastal buses and 55 commercial buses at a time. The project content include: parallel alternative road, Iyana Oworo lay-by, Berger lay-by, Lagbus lay-by and panel wall.

Motorists and commuters who spoke on their driving experience on the bridge ‎commended the state government for coming up with the strategy, which had reduce their travel time on the bridge.

According to Bukky Ogunusi, who works in Lekki and lives around Ojodu Berger, ‘’my travel time going back home has tremendously reduced. Presently, after close of work, I don’t spend up to 30 minutes getting to Oworonsoki from via the Third Mainland Bridge’’.

Ogunnusi called on the authorities concerned to accord the same priority attention along the corridor beginning from Oworonsoki inward Lagos Island which she lamented witnesses’ daily traffic build-up due to the narrowing down of the multiple lanes as motorists approaches Ikoyi and Obalende exit points.