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4th Mainland Bridge: FG, Lagos allay property demolition fear

Federal Government and the Lagos State government have allayed fear of residents over the number of structures to be demolished to pave for the proposed 4th Mainland Bridge. The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, the Minister of State for Environment, Mrs. Sharon Ikeazor, and Governor Babajide Sanwo- Olu of Lagos State promised that the construction of the multi-billion naira bridge would be less destructive.

They also gave an assurance that the project would be carried out in line with the international standard and would be environmentally friendly. Speaking at the first stakeholders’ meeting on environmental and social impact assessment for the 4th Mainland Bridge, held at the State House, Alausa, Ikeja, the ministers and the governor sought the cooperation and support of stakeholders in the state in making the project a reality.

Fashola, who spoke through a director in his ministry, Dr. Adetunji Adeoye, said all factors that could have negative effects on construction of the bridge had been considered and taken care of, even as he emphasized the importance of the bridge to socio-economic development of the state. On her part, Ikeazor, who was also represented by Oluwatoyin Agbenla, said reviewing the environmental impact of the project was a precautionary measure to make sure that “the dream becomes a reality”.

She added that the meeting was a right step in the right direction because of its importance to the project. Allaying the fear over demolition, Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by his deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, assured Lagosians that the project would be less destructive. According to him, the project has been well integrated into the overall master plan of the state. He said: “It is instructive to note that the commencement of the project will be another undeniably flagship project of this administration. We must therefore use this stakeholders’ meeting to consult amongst ourselves as we take steps to remove all the bottlenecks that may impede the delivery of the 4th Mainland Bridge.

“All the components of Lagos mobility must be considered: Road planning, public transport integration and urban freight; strengthening the current radial commuting connections towards Lagos urban core and the establishment of transversal connections that will serve both long distance traffic (avoiding the metropolitan traffic) and also other connections within the megacity which are not Lagos bound.

“Let me assure you that the proposed 4th Mainland Bridge project has been well integrated into the overall Lagos Master Plan in relation to transportation infrastructure. The project allows for the first time ‘direct access’ from the large suburb of Ikorodu to the Island and the Lekki Free Trade Zone area.”

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