The Federal Government has commissioned a state-of-the-art Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) Monitoring Centre on the Third Mainland Bridge, Lagos, marking a major upgrade in safety, security and infrastructure management on one of the country’s most critical transport corridors.
Speaking at the commissioning, the Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, said the project aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s directive to rehabilitate and secure key federal bridges nationwide.
He described the facility as a strategic intervention aimed at safeguarding lives, protecting infrastructure and ensuring efficient traffic management on the bridge.
The newly inaugurated centre is equipped with high-definition CCTV cameras covering both the bridge deck and underwater structural components. It is also supported by a dedicated surveillance boat and two operational Hilux vehicles to enable rapid response and effective enforcement.
Umahi noted that when the administration assumed office in 2023, the Third Mainland Bridge, alongside the Carter and Iddo bridges, was in a severely deteriorated condition, and cited extensive defects in pavement surfaces, expansion joints and critical structural elements above and below water.
According to the minister, the CCTV-based monitoring system is designed to curb speeding, prevent traffic obstruction, reduce the risk of vehicle fires and deter unsafe behaviour on the bridge.
He explained that real-time surveillance, combined with designated lay-bys, would allow enforcement agencies to act without disrupting traffic flow.
Under the operational framework, the Nigeria Police will be responsible for setting and enforcing speed limits, supported by the surveillance infrastructure, patrol vehicles and boats formally handed over for the assignment.
Earlier, the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, Engr. Olufemi Dare, said the project introduced advanced technology that enables continuous real-time monitoring of the bridge’s superstructure and underwater components, adding that the system significantly enhances safety, security and emergency response capability.
Dare disclosed that the monitoring system is designed to ensure rescue and response operations within two to three minutes of any incident, and also revealed that the contract sum for the project is N43.118 billion, out of which N36.295 billion has already been paid to the contractor.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has reiterated that it has no plan to toll the rehabilitated Third Mainland Bridge.
Umahi, who also inaugurated the N40 billion CCTV Camera Centre, explained that tolling would require additional construction that could impose static load on the bridge and create traffic bottlenecks due to its location within the city.
“We will not engage in construction on this bridge because it will entail static load on the structure. Being within the town, it will also introduce serious bottlenecks. That is why we are not tolling this bridge,” the minister said.
He added that security on the 11-kilometre bridge would be handled by the police, with an average response time of about five minutes.
