FG to spend N3.8tr to fix underwater issues on Third Mainland Bridge — Umahi
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The Federal Government says about N3.8 trillion will be required to rehabilitate the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos following the discovery of severe underwater structural damage.
David Umahi, Minister of Works, disclosed this on Wednesday while briefing State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu in Abuja.
According to Umahi, underwater assessments conducted in 2013 and 2019 on both the Carter and Third Mainland bridges revealed significant substructure deterioration caused by illegal sand mining, erosion, and corrosion of piles and piers.
“[For the Third Mainland Bridge], when we did a pro rata of what is to be done, if we are to rehabilitate, it came to about N3.8 trillion and if we are to do a new construction, it came to about N3.6 trillion,” he said.
The minister said the proposal builds on a series of emergency interventions already undertaken on bridges across the country.
“So we approached FEC to give us approval to do two things under the EPC+F (Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Financing) framework, to allow not less than seven specialist contractors to undertake comprehensive investigation, comprehensive design, and the bidding to reconstruct brand new bridges, or to do rehabilitation of these two bridges,” he explained.
Umahi said the council also approved the advertisement for public-private partnerships (PPP), enabling private sector participation in the rehabilitation process.
The approvals, he added, extend to other bridge works including the Jalingo bridge in Taraba State, the Ido Bridge in Oyo State — which was burnt and requires removal of three spans — the Keffi Flyover in Nasarawa, Mokwa bridge in Niger, and a damaged bridge on the Abuja–Kogi road.
He said further inspections would be carried out on bridges between Lagos and Ibadan, the Jebba bridge in Kwara State, and the Itokin–Ikorodu bridge in Lagos.
“These emergency works will be articulated and forwarded to Mr. President for approval through the minister of finance,” Umahi noted.
The minister also revealed that the council approved a total of N493 billion for two major projects — the upgrade of the 152-kilometre Kano–Katsina road and the construction of a new Carter Bridge in Lagos State.
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