A fact-finding team from the Building and Civil Engineering Professionals Group, under the aegis of the Building Collapse Prevention Guild (BCPG), Amuwo Odofin Cell, has dismissed claims of vandalism at the Dantata Overhead Bridge along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway.

The three-member team visited the bridge on August 10 and returned on August 25 to investigate a viral video alleging that parts of the structure, particularly the section descending towards 7th Avenue, Festac Town, had been vandalised.

The team was led by the Cell Coordinator, Chubike Okafor, a member of the Nigeria Institute of Building (NIOB). Other members were Michael Adeyemo, an architect, and Timi Adeosun, a member of the NIOB.

During the first visit, the team met workers of the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), the main contractor handling the project. The Guardian learnt that the workers were carrying out finishing works on the pile columns supporting the bridge deck.

The team inspected the areas highlighted in the viral video, including the pile columns beneath the bridge deck and the partially excavated earth fill around the section leading to 7th Avenue.

According to Okafor, the inspection showed that the concrete cover of the pile columns remained intact, with no evidence of vandalism.

He, however, noted that some of the pile columns had rough and irregular surfaces and required proper finishing to further protect the concrete cover and improve the overall appearance of the structure.

The contractor’s supervisor also confirmed the team’s observations.

The team further discovered that the excavation of the earth fill behind the reinforced concrete retaining wall had initially been carried out by the contractors during maintenance work on the bridge’s drainage outlets.

According to the findings, additional excavation was later carried out by squatters who were using the earth to fill waterlogged sections around the bridge in an attempt to create space for makeshift structures.

The contractors subsequently assured the team that they had mobilised to the site to complete the outstanding finishing works.

Following the first inspection, the BCPG team allowed two weeks for the remedial works to progress before returning to assess the situation.

During its second visit on August 25, the team observed significant progress in the finishing works.

The contractors disclosed plans to cast a one-metre-square concrete mould around the round pile columns.

The earth fill beneath the lower bridge deck had also been fully excavated to expose the pile columns, with similar concrete protection planned around them.

The BCPG team said it would continue to monitor developments at the site through further visits and provide updates on the progress of the works.

According to the team, the exercise was aimed at establishing the facts surrounding the concerns raised in the viral video and ensuring that necessary remedial and finishing works were carried out to protect the bridge infrastructure.