The Carter Bridge may be the oldest bridge linking Lagos Island to the mainland, but it’s now brighter at night as Governor Babatunde Fashola switched on the street lights over Carter Bridge under a rainy Sunday night as part of the state’s public lighting projects.

The event took place near the Idumota end of the bridge, where governor Fashola described it as a transport as well as security solution.

In his brief remarks before switching on the lights, Governor Fashola said the lighting of the bridge was in consistency with his administration’s commitment to power facilities in transportation and housing adding that in the area of Power the administration has focused on traffic lights and street lighting.

Governor Fashola, who noted that the lighting of the streets has improved security in the State and enabling people to move around safely at night, described the lighting of the Bridge as “a transport solution as well as a security solution.

He said he is hoping that the bridge would record capacity use now that it has been lit up, Governor Fashola declared, “It will increase their choices of getting in and out from the Island and onto the Mainland”, adding that the lighting of the bridge also had significant economic impact.

Making history as the first bridge in the country to have public lighting powered by an independent power project, the Carter Bridge project covers public lighting starting from the Idumota area to Ijora Olopa, Iddo Terminus and towards the Third Mainland Bridge, Adeniji, Ebute Ero and Ofin.

In addition, the switch on ceremony for the Carter Bridge public lighting project marks the first public infrastructure facility to be powered by the Lagos State Independent Power Project (IPP) and forms part of the Island Power Expansion Project which will also include the connection of four general hospitals, 14 schools, two waterworks, one transfer loading station, two court facilities, two stadiums and 30 kilometre additional public lighting as well as Tinubu Square.