The Minister of Works, Arc Mike Onolememen has called reports that the Third Mainland Bridge is on the verge of collapse spurious.
The Minsiter said there was actually no civil engineering test to prove that the bridge was compromised. Also he debunked a report commissioned by lawmakers from Lagos State which stated that over 1,318 foundation piles of the bridge were defective.
He said that although serious steel casing corrosion was noticeable, he pointed out that it had no structural function regarding the pile bearing capacity, as they served only as form works to the piles.
He pleaded with users of the bridge to ignore false reports and said he himself drove twice on the bridge in recent weeks.
He maintained that the structural integrity of the bridge was not in any doubt as further tests by reputable engineering companies has confirmed the adequacy of pile concrete quality adding that based on their advice, the ministry is ensuring continuous routine maintenance works.