FG Approves N23bn For Third Mainland Bridge Maintenance, Others

The sum of N23.33bn has been approved by President Muhammadu Buhari-led government for the surface maintenance of the Third Mainland Bridge, Lagos State.

The approved fund is also for the augmentation of the contract sum for the old Enugu-Anambra road project.

The approval was disclosed by the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola while addressing the State House correspondents after this week’s Federal Executive Council meeting.

According to Fashola, 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 President Buhari in April 2022, which gave legal backing to the country’s national maintenance policy.

The approval of the Federal Government is coming 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.

The Minister, however, stated that there would be no duplication of efforts.

Fashola noted that the state’s Public Works Corporation would focus on the functional structure of the bridge, such as the underwater piles.

Additionally that the Federal Government will undertake surface maintenance to treat potholes and restore missing guard rails.

The former Governor of Lagos State 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 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.

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