A recent midnight fire that gutted the Apongbon Bridge in Lagos Island has reinforced the imperative of addressing the widespread abuse of bridges in Nigerian cities. The blaze destroyed many illegal structures, including shops erected under the bridge. Bridges are an important part of road architecture but have been subjected to gross misuse in Nigeria. This poses grave danger to people and public structures. The federal and state governments should respond to the challenge by putting strong measures in place to protect public assets.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said no fewer than nine bridges have recorded fire incidents in Lagos in the past two years. Yet, the authorities have failed to address this menace, emblematic of the prevailing poor national maintenance culture.

Bridges offer unique solutions for road and rail traffic to cross rivers, gorges and other difficult environmental terrains. They are expensive to construct, and therefore, should be monitored and maintained to extend their lifespan.

But in many Nigerian urban centres, particularly in Lagos, Ogun, the abuse of bridges is rampant. Their surroundings are eyesores. Trucks are parked there, thus putting enormous pressure on them. Increasingly, traders, artisans and miscreants have commandeered the open spaces under them, where diverse illicit activities thrive. Hoodlums are a feature of the decadence and debauchery playing out around these facilities. Some, both on them and under, have been turned to bustling dirty markets. Makeshift canteens and kitchens mushroom. Fires are lit under the bridges.

Bridges in Orile, Iganmu, Ijora, Iyana-Ipaja, Mile 2, Apapa, Iponri, Isolo, Apongbon, Berger and elsewhere have become mortuaries for vehicles, where their carcasses are abandoned. For many months, heavy-duty container trucks park on some bridges in Lagos, narrowing the roads and causing gridlock. Dangerously, they damage the structural integrity of the bridges.

The Lagos State Government had made half-hearted moves to rid the bridges of various nuisances. Taking advantage of the lax attitude of the government towards this issue and law enforcement, criminals and other society dregs have taken over the open spaces under the bridges, making them a ‘no-go’ area, where violence fuelled by illicit drugs and alcohol thrive. From there, gangsters terrorise law-abiding citizens.

Unlike the mushrooming cities of shanties and kiosks proliferating under the bridges in Lagos and Ogun states, bridges are free of such destructive activities in other megacities like Tokyo, London, New York and Johannesburg. A few years ago, the spaces under the bridges were reclaimed from squatters, but the situation has since reverted to the status quo because the Lagos State Government enforces its own laws only in fits and starts. The Apongbon incident provides an opportunity for Sanwo-Olu to vigorously clear all bridges and highways in Lagos of abuse and illegal activities.

Alarmed, the Society of Energy Administrators had earlier alerted the government to the threat of collapse of several Lagos bridges due to fire outbreaks and indiscriminate parking of trucks there. Construction experts observe that the bridges are under great stress from stationary articulated vehicles, a situation worsened by recurring gridlock and the deplorable state of roads leading to the ports and tank farms in Apapa.

An empty 20-feet container weighs 2,300 kilograms. A 40-feet container is double of that. With an average truck weighing about 14,000kg, the total weight of 25 stationary trucks on a bridge, for instance, could be around 350,000kg. This is besides the weight of other vehicles. The implication is that the bridges in many parts of Lagos are perpetually under serious stress.

These all-important facilities need cleaning; deck joints and cracks sealing; painting exposed elements; protection through the lubrication of the bearings. Standard maintenance practice, say experts, dictates that the decking should be washed every two years; while bearing lubrication is done two to four years. Sealing and waterproofing of concrete decking is required between three and five years and coating of steel beams and girder is expected to be carried out between 10 and 15 years, depending on usage, wear and tear. Nigeria’s notoriously deficient maintenance culture ensures that these essential activities are not undertaken.

The danger posed by structurally deficient bridges was illustrated in Italy in August 2018 when a major road viaduct collapsed during a rainstorm, killing 43 people. Structural engineers said parking petroleum tankers on bridges could spark fire or lead to bridge fatigue or collapse as the facility is not designed to bear dead weights for an interminable length of time. Bridges, unlike multi-storey parks, are intended to carry transitional loads within seconds.

As the country’s bridges continue to age, there is a need for a systematic programme for bridge protection and preservation, whereby existing deterioration is prioritised and the focus is on preventive maintenance. New technologies, materials, evaluation techniques and construction methods have advanced in recent years to meet this challenge. Instructively, the industry manual provided by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials now requires new bridges to be designed with a 75-year service life, compared to the customary 50 years, meaning bridges are now being built to last longer.

Additionally, engineers are now using ultra-high-performance concrete, corrosion-resistant reinforcement, high-performance steel, composites, and improved coatings to increase resilience and add durability, higher strengths, and longer life to bridges.

Similarly, minimal-impact, non-destructive evaluation methods are being used more widely. To reduce the amount of time traffic needs to be disrupted while a bridge is repaired or replaced; prefabricated structures are also used. Innovations, technologies, and evaluation methods are effectively allowing engineers to identify problems earlier, increase the lifespan of the bridges, stretch limited resources, and prioritise public safety. A gradual adoption of these new technologies will ultimately preserve the bridges and also save money down the road.

Concerning maintenance, the federal and state ministries of works have failed. They should ensure that these bridges are regularly maintained and rid of all human and physical structures. Lagos and Ogun states should enforce all environmental and traffic laws all-year round.

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