The Federal Government has directed the immediate closure of part of the Keffi bridge due to a partial collapse.
The Minister of Works, Mr David Umahi, gave the directive while reacting to the damage caused on the bridge by a heavy duty vehicle on Thursday in Abuja.
The closure was necessitated by the damage caused by a vehicle which knocked down beams on a part of the bridge.
Umahi confirmed that the affected carriageway would be shutdown to prevent further damage and to ensure public safety.
“We have directed the shutdown of the Keffi bridge but the one shutdown is definitely the first carriageway that had direct impact with the excavator.
“We are sending senior technical officers to work with the controller of that location and then we now check for the second carriageway.
“If the beams of the second carriageway are affected, then the entire bridge will be shutdown and then it becomes an emergency situation.”;
Umahi explained that the ministry has to come up with a design immediately and then look for a contractor that is versed in the kind of knowledge.
The minister emphasised the importance of adhering to codes and standards in bridge design and construction, citing the 5.6-meter headroom standard for flyovers.
He attributed the bridge collapses to direct violations of traffic codes, specifically the use of high-bed trucks that exceed the standard headroom.
The minister noted that some bridges have been damaged due to these violations, resulting in significant disruptions to traffic and economic activities.
Umahi said that to mitigate these issues, there was a need to adopt a minimum headroom of 6.5 meters for flyovers to accommodate taller vehicles.
He said the ministry would henceforth start installing heavy metal gateways to detect and prevent over height vehicles from accessing bridges.
