FG approves N23bn for Third Mainland Bridge maintenance, others

The Federal Government, on Wednesday, approved the total sum of N23.33bn for surface maintenance of the Third Mainland Bridge, Lagos State, as well as the augmentation of the contract sum for the old Enugu-Anambra road project.

The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, who briefed State House correspondents after this week’s Federal Executive Council meeting at the Presidential Villa, said the 24-month repair would cover 11 kilometres, including interchanges, ramps, and critical links.

He said the move aligns with Executive Order 11, signed by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), in April 2022, which gave legal backing to the country’s national maintenance policy.

The announcement came barely two weeks after the Lagos State Government said it would rehabilitate the 32-year-old bridge to repair failed and peeled asphaltic sections and substructure.

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However, Fashola argued that there would be no duplication of efforts.

The former Lagos State governor said the state’s Public Works Corporation would focus on the functional structure of the bridge, such as the underwater piles, while the FG will undertake surface maintenance to treat potholes and restore missing guard rails.

He said, “Council approved a new contract for the maintenance of the pavement of the third mainland bridge and this was approved in the sum of N6.28bn for 24 months.

“I have been asked about the works done on the bridge before. The works concentrate mainly on the bridge’s substructure, the underwater piles, the pile caps and the replacement of the expansion joints and the bearings.

“These are maintenance works that are critical to the structural integrity of the bridge. What we’re dealing with now is different. It is the driving surface and also the aesthetics. Some of the rails that have been stolen. Some of the pleats are misaligned at the routes that lead you on and off the bridge.”

Fashola added that there are no anticipated prolonged closures during the works.

Meanwhile, the Council also approved a N17.05bn variation for the contract for the construction of the old Enugu-Onitsha road, whose current sum now stands at N48.99bn.