The Federal Government has revealed that approximately N3.8 trillion will be needed to rehabilitate Lagos’ Third Mainland Bridge after underwater inspections uncovered severe structural damage.
Works Minister David Umahi disclosed this figure on Wednesday during a briefing with State House correspondents following the Federal Executive Council meeting chaired by President Bola Tinubu in Abuja.
Minister Umahi explained that underwater assessments conducted in 2013 and 2019 on both the Carter and Third Mainland bridges showed substantial deterioration of substructures. The damage was attributed to illegal sand mining, erosion, and corrosion of critical support elements. “[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,” Umahi stated.
The proposed rehabilitation forms part of ongoing emergency interventions for bridges nationwide. “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,” the minister elaborated.
FEC also greenlit public-private partnership advertisements to facilitate private sector involvement in the rehabilitation process. These approvals encompass additional bridge projects including the Jalingo bridge in Taraba State, the fire-damaged Ido Bridge in Oyo State requiring three span replacements, Keffi Flyover in Nasarawa, Mokwa bridge in Niger, and a compromised bridge along the Abuja-Kogi route.
Umahi announced plans for further inspections of bridges between Lagos and Ibadan, Jebba bridge in Kwara, 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,” he noted.
The council additionally approved N493 billion for two major infrastructure projects: upgrading the 152-kilometre Kano-Katsina road and constructing a new Carter Bridge in Lagos State. These developments come as the government intensifies efforts to address critical transportation infrastructure nationwide.
