Monday, July 9, 2018

MONDAY, JULY 9, 2018
47
property
homes &
Engineers call for integrity test on Otedola Bridge
Stories: Maureen
Ihua-Maduenyi
Structural
and
civil engineers in the
country have called for a
test to be carried out on the
Otedola Bridge in Lagos
to ascertain the effect the
recent fire incident has on
it.
According to the
engineers, a physical
examination of the bridge
will show if it requires
attention and also help to
forestall any danger it may
pose to the commuting
public.
A former Chairman of
the Nigerian Society of
Engineers, Lagos Branch,
Mr Olatunde Jaiyesinmi,
said if the fire affected the
bridge, the authorities
concerned should not
ignore the effect it could
have on it.
He said, “Fire is very
powerful and the effect it
may have on the bridge
needs to be checked. When
you subject anything to
heat, especially something
like that, if the concrete
does not expand, it will
transfer the heat to the
reinforcement. When you
heat reinforcement or
iron, it becomes weak after
a while and can be bent or
broken.
“It depends again on the
intensity of the heat and if
it really happened on the
bridge. The heat and even
the explosion can create
problems for the bridge.
Sometime ago, there was
fire on one of the bridges in
Ijora and one of the pillars
was affected. It will be
good for an integrity test
to be done on the Otedola
Bridge; if there is asphalt
on it, part of it may even
melt away over time if it
was affected.”
On June 28, a tanker
laden with petrol exploded
at the foot of the Otedola
Bridge, a short link
between Alausa, Ikeja and
Berger area of Lagos.
The subsequent inferno
consumed 54 private
and commercial vehicles
driving behind the tanker
and claimed about 10 lives.
According to reports, a
similar incident occurred
on the same spot in 2010.
The immediate past
President of the Nigerian
Institute of Structural
Engineers, Mr Oreoluwa
Fadayomi, said the first
thing for the concerned
stakeholders to do was to
confirm if the explosion
occurred on the bridge or
after it.
Fadayomi stated, “It is
the inspection that will
lead to recommendations
on what should be done if
there is damage. There are
two issues, one can bother
on design and the other
can be on mechanical
or any other kind of
damage resulting from the
incident.
“If a building gets burnt,
some of the elements may
be affected, warranting a
test to be carried out on
it to check the strength;
on the basis and intensity
of the fire, there will be a
need for a test to confirm
whether the bridge is
alright or needs any form
of attention. But if there
are no signs of damage,
one may not have to
worry; but with the gravity
of the incident, a test may
be necessary.”
He said a team of
structural and highway
LASG begins Apapa cleaning,
seals buildings for uncleanliness
The Lagos State
Government on
Saturday commenced the
cleaning of the Apapa area
of the state.
During the exercise,
some buildings located
on Egbaiyelo Street,
around the Tin Can-
Coconut axis of the Apapa-
Oshodi Expressway, were
sealed for unsanitary
practices, ranging from
open defecation to illegal
dumping of refuse, among
others.
The Commissioner for
the Environment, Mr
Babatunde Durosinmi-
Etti, said the state’s
zero tolerance for
environmental nuisance
policy was still in force.
In a statement signed
by the Assistant Director,
Public Affairs, Ministry
of the Environment,
Mukaila Sanusi, the
commissioner was said
to have warned residents
who were in the habit of
abusing the environment
through different forms
of infractions such
as keeping unhealthy
environment littered
with all kinds of articles;
converting open spaces to
dump sites; erecting illegal
stall extensions; and
engaging in street trading,
among others, to desist or
face sanctions from the
government.
He said the government
had the duty to promote
the welfare of all residents
by safeguarding the
environment, adding
that no responsible
government would fold
its arms and allow the
reckless attitude of a few
to compromise the wellbeing
of everyone in the
state.
“We have no option than
to act fast to nip this kind of
unpleasant development
in the bud if we must
prevent the outbreak of
epidemics in our state as
dirty environment comes
with serious hazards,”
Durosinmi-Etti stated.
According to him, the
ongoing beautification
of Apapa, starting from
Commercial Avenue and
its environs, and the Tin
Can-Coconut section
of the Apapa-Oshodi
Expressway, are parts of
the government’s efforts
to sanitise the Apapa
neighbourhood.
He said stakeholders,
including the Nigerian
Association of Road
Transport Owners, plank
sellers and local council
development areas in
the Tin Can-Coconut
area, among others,
supported the successful
commencement of the
cleaning intervention.
He added that the state
had also deployed facilities
to rid the Tin Can-Coconut
section of the expressway
of refuse.
engineers should inspect
the bridge and see if there
would be a need for more
tests.
“And if there is a need
for further tests, fine,
if not, then the bridge
should be left alone. If
nothing happened to the
bridge, then it should
be left alone; but if the
incident took place on
the bridge, then we need
to know the magnitude.
The other aspect that
bothers on design can
also be determined by the
examination,” he added.
According to a civil
engineer, Robbie Owivry,
a through test on the
bridge should be done
owing to the intensity of
the fire.
“Having been subjected
to such an enormous
impact of heat waves
emanating from the fire,
the natural thing to do is
to subject the bridge to an
integrity test to ascertain
its fitness,” Owivry, who
is the immediate Past
Chairman, Lagos branch
of the Nigerian Institution
of Civil Engineers, stated.
The Federal Controller
of Works, Lagos, Mr
Ademola Kuti, in a
telephone interview
with our correspondent,
however, stated that a
preliminary test had been
carried out on the bridge.
“We have done a
preliminary test on the
bridge, people should
await the outcome of
that exercise, but there
will be a further test on
it. That will be a more
comprehensive test.
However, a contractor,
Julius Berger, is also on
the road,” he added.
The Chairman,
Nigerian Institute of
Mechanical Engineers,
Lagos Chapter, Mr Segun
Fadeyi, stated that last
week, he led his executive
team to the bridge and met
a team from the Federal
Ministry of Works, who
gave an assurance that
a comprehensive test
as well as rehabilitation
would be carried out.
“Julius Berger is
working on the road
because the place is sloppy
and the trailer carrying
that load was overloaded.
The capacity of the engine
was lower than the load it
was carrying, which led
to the accident; but as we
were told, Julius Berger
wants to reconstruct the
place and may resurface
the bridge,” he added.