Following a series of highway tragedies, the Lagos State Government has restricted articulated trucks from Dorman Long and Ojuelegba bridges in the state, giving orders to arrest all violators.
Sola Giwa, the Special Adviser on Transportation to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, gave the directive in a letter dated February 6, 2023, addressed to the General Manager of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA).
“Please treat with utmost priority,” he stated in the letter shared on Twitter by the official LASTMA account on Sunday.
Titled ‘Ban on Use of Dorman Long and Ojuelegba Bridges By Articulated Truck Drivers’, it said the development was in response to the “frequent” road accidents along Dorman Long and Ojuelegba Bridge involving articulated vehicles.
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Giwa noted that it was “imperative for the state government to restrict the trucks from the bridges and their movement to the State Logistics routes (Oshodi-Apapa Expressway) and under the bridge to link Ikorodu Road then connect Agege Motor Road.”
In view of this, the governor’s aide directed LASMTA to “apprehend articulated trucks that pass through Dorman Long and Ojuelegbe bridges in accordance with pronouncement of the State Government.”
The state government hopes the order will reduce the spate of avoidable accidents by heavy-duty and articulated trucks accessing the bridges in order to ensure safety, and security of lives and property across the state.
The latest tragedy involving an articulated vehicle occurred on January 29 along Ojuelegba bridge, when a container-laden truck fell and crushed a commercial bus, claiming nine lives and leaving several others injured.
“Specifically, the State Government has observed that the rising-curve of the bridge is not designed to allow passage of long, spacious and heavy vehicles,” the letter read.
