Weeks after InsideMainland exclusively reported the overcrowding and looming danger at the Ketu pedestrian bridge, commuters still use the foot bridge with fear of being hurt in the process.
When InsideMainland visited the spot during the rush hour earlier today, commuters were seen in numbers using the bridge to access other parts of Ketu to avoid crossing the expressway due to the ban by the government.
InsideMainland learnt that due to the current state of the bridge, residents have resorted to begging KAI officers stationed at strategic points on the expressway to arrest offenders to allow them cross the expressway. This development was as a result of how the bridge vibrates and terrifies commuters when used.
However, checks on the pedestrian bridge showed that the government is currently involved in repair works there.
Presently, the rust railings commuters can use to gain balance when using the pedestrian bridge are currently been replaced with new ones while the usual directional signs on parts of the bridge has been removed.
Speaking to a resident who simply identified himself as Mukhtar, “the rehabilitation work on the bridge commenced few days ago but it has stopped. At first, I was impressed by the swift action to put the bridge in shape but I don’t understand why work stopped here.”
When asked when the workers were last seen on site, he swiftly replied that “it’s been three days since they last came here. I hope they finish what they started so we can use the bridge without fear.”
It was also discovered during checks around the bridge that the newly installed railings were only effected on both sides of the foot bridge as construction workers stopped at a portion connecting the railings to the steps on the pedestrian bridge.
The railings preventing commuters from failing off the steps connecting the pedestrian bridge are still in a bad state and needs to be changed.
The Special Adviser to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode on Communities and Communications, Hon. Kehinde Bamigbetan, told InsideMainland that “the Ministry of Works and Infrastructures is evaluating the bridge and will recommend immediate and long term solutions.”
Furthermore, InsideMainland learnt that there are plans by the government to cover the pedestrian bridge during the ongoing rehabilitation work there.
