IBADAN- The Oyo State Government has ordered the immediate closure of the Bodija/Awolowo Avenue junction bridge following a down pour which washed away two vehicles near the bridge on Monday night.
The State Deputy Governor, Mr Moses Adeyemo, gave the order after inspecting the bridge which was undergoing reconstruction..
Adeyemo said the closure became necessary in view of the danger posed by the bridge after another downpour.
The heavy rain was said to have washed away two vehicles, although no casualty was recorded.
The deputy governor had mobilised top government officials as well as security agents to the site and other flood prone areas while the rain lasted on Monday night.
“ We thank God that there were no casualties.
“ Immediately the flood was brought to our notice, we mobilised everyone here, including the Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly and security agencies.
“ We were here till 2: am on Tuesday and did not leave until we had ensured that the flood did no damage to human beings and property,’’ Adeyemo said.
He said government resorted to the construction of a temporary bridge to alleviate the sufferings of commuters and motorists plying the Secretariat-Bodija road.
When the construction of the bridge began, he said the initial demand from the contractor was for the road to be totally closed to traffic.
Government, he said, considered the heavy traffic plying the road and its significance before asking the contractor to provide a temporary bridge to take care of commuters.
He, however, said that with the washing away of the road, government had been left with no option than to close it to ensure speedy completion of the project.
While appealing to the people of the state to bear with the government over any inconvenience they would be experiencing as a result of the closure, the deputy governor said the contractor had been mandated to work round the clock in order to complete it on schedule.
He also called on residents to cooperate with the contractor by plying alternative routes to Bodija while giving an assurance that government would continue to give priority to safety of lives and property.
Reports say that no fewer than 102 people died in August 2011 in Ibadan following the floods that attended heavy rainfalls.
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