Users of the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos were thrown into a state of confusion on Wednesday when a rumour spread that the bridge linking the mainland to the Island had collapsed.
Motorists going on either side of the bridge had to make emergency and unplanned U-turns, a situation that resulted in chaos on the busy bridge.
The rumour eventually turned to be a false alarm, as officials of the Lagos Zonal Office of the Federal Ministry of Works raced to the bridge and examined it from the Adeniji Adele end to the Oworonsoki end.
The officials later passed a clean bill of health on the facility.
Our correspondents who visited the bridge observed that many motorists were diverting to the Carter Bridge to link Western Avenue, despite assurances that the bridge was okay.
The situation compounded traffic situation on Western Avenue and Ikorodu Road up to Maryland.
It was gathered that the only unusual occurrence on the bridge in the morning was a heavy traffic jam reportedly caused by an accident.
The Federal Ministry of Works on Wednesday said that there was no cause for alarm.
�The Minister of Works, Chief Cornelius Adebayo, wishes to assure members of the public that the Third Mainland Bridge is safe and serviceable,� said the Chief Press Secretary to the minister, Mr. Lawrence Ojabo, in a statement on Wednesday.
He added that the overpass was being monitored daily to ensure continued safety, �as we await the detailed study of a possible maintenance requirements from Messrs Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, who are well known reputable experts in bridge construction and maintenance.�
In recent weeks, motorists plying the facility had complained of unusual vibrations of the bridge; a development that, according to Ojabo, informed Adebayo paying a visit to the bridge on September 30, 2006 in company with professionals of the ministry and JBN, the contractor that built the bridge.
�A preliminary investigation carried out showed that there is no cause for alarm,� stated Ojabo.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government will soon commence a comprehensive maintenance of the bridge and other flyovers in Lagos.
The Federal Controller of Works in the state, Mr. Tunde Ekunsumi, stated this in an interview with our correspondents.
Ekunsumi, who inspected the bridge in company with officials of Julius Berger when he got wind of its rumoured collapse, explained that detailed report on the state of bridges in the state had been compiled and forwarded to the headquarters of the Ministry of Works in Abuja.
The controller who confirmed to our correspondent that no part of the bridge collapsed on Wednesday, said work would start as soon as the minister, approve the report.
He said, �We have sent a proposal on the need to carry out a general check on all Lagos bridges to the minister following a joint assessment of their structural integrity by engineers in the ministry and those of Julius Berger Plc.
�We have been paying attention to the condition of the roads over the years, while the bridges were neglected, but now, something urgent had to be done to avoid any disaster.�
In a related development, motorists in Lagos have urged government not to dismiss the fear of the people concerning the current state of the bridge as a mere rumour.
They appealed to the authorities to see it as a wake up call for immediate restoration work.
A commuter bus driver, plying Obalende-Oshodi route, Mr. Asimi Bello, called an attention to alleged undulation and vibration experienced between Adekunle and Adeniyi junctions, which he attributed to some dangerous slopping point on the bridge.