LSE: Gas Pipeline Rupture Sealed In Hours By Julius Berger

…Incident due to lack of warning sign on affected area

BY SEGUN ADEBAYO IN LAGOS – Construction giant, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc on Wednesday moved decisively and put under control the gas pipeline rupture on the Lagos-Shagamu Expressway (LSE) thereby restored normalcy within hours of incident.

Accordingly, the situation in the affected area has been put under control just as normalcy has returned to the area.

There was a case of gas pipeline rupture around Punch area in Magboro on Wednesday on the busy highway under rehabilitation and reconstruction by Julius Berger Nigeria Plc.

A statement by the Federal Road Safety Corps said the pipeline got bursted while men of Julius Berger, the construction company working on Lagos-Shagamu expressway were excavating a surface for worksite.

This is just as the Traffic Coordinator of Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, Mr. Solace Onu explained that the damage to the pipeline could have been avoided had there been a sign warning the constructors of a pipeline underground the area.

Onu said; “our (Julius Berger) workers were working on one of the several diversions we are creating to ease traffic flow on the main project when the bulldozer scraped a gas pipeline.

“There was no warning or indication that there was a gas pipeline there. Besides, our bulldozer was just doing minor grading of an already existing earth road to make driving on the diversion easier for motorists. We discovered that the pipeline was not deep into the soil.”

When contacted on the ruptured pipeline at the Lagos-Shagamu Expressway near Punch at Magboro area, Julius Berger’s Spokesman, Prince Moses Duku said: “We (Julius Berger) are aware of the accidental rupture of the pipeline at the LSE, and our company has, indeed, moved immediately with the swiftness of desirable action to fix the ruptured pipe even as we speak.

“We appeal to motorists to remain calm as Gaslink has been notified of the incident and all efforts are being made in conjunction with other relevant agencies to secure and fix the site today (Wednesday).

“We therefore advise motorists and pedestrians to kindly steer clear of the site and consider alternate routes which we have put in place. We will provide updates to this information as the repair work progresses,” Duku appealed.

However, true to the assurance given to motorists by the habitually dependable and consistently most reliable engineering construction company in the country, Julius Berger and the relevant agencies, normalcy was restored by evening of Wednesday to the site as men of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Federal Fire Service and related agencies swung into action to avert any danger.

A visit to the area on Thursday morning by Forefront correspondent confirmed that normalcy has returned to the site save for the closed sections of the road which are yet to be reopened for what Julius Berger said was a “necessary precautionary measure.”