Business
FG says Third Mainland Bridge won’t be reopened on February 15, extends completion date
The reopening of the Third Mainland Bridge will no longer happen on Monday as earlier scheduled.
The Federal Government has announced that the Third Mainland Bridge will no longer be opened on Monday, February 15, 2021, the earlier scheduled completion date for the rehabilitation works.
This is as work will soon begin on the casting of the last expansion joint on the bridge before it will be finally reopened.
According to a report from the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), this disclosure was made by the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, Mr Olukayode Popoola, in a telephone conversation.
Popoola said that the bridge would not be opened on Monday but at the end of February, as it would undergo one more total closure from February 19 to February 21 before completion of the project for the final re-opening by the end of February.
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What the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos is saying
In his statement, Popoola said, “Third Mainland Bridge will no longer be opened on the 15th of February 2021 as announced earlier on.
“In order not to create untold hardship for the motoring public using the Third Mainland Bridge for their daily activities, the contractor is not allowed to close the Third Mainland Bridge during the week to cast concrete.
“Lane markings on the completed section must be completed. The Federal Ministry of Works and Housing regrets the inconveniences the extra days may have caused the Lagosians.”
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He explained further:
“We are looking at the end of the month for the reopening of the bridge. That is the end of this February.
“They will cast concrete on the last expansion joint next weekend. We are not allowed to cast during the week so that the traffic will not be too much for people going to work. They will cast next weekend and after casting, we need about three or four days to do post-tensioning. That is why we are looking at end of February completion.
“Casting will be done next weekend for the last expansion joint, it will require total closure of the bridge next weekend just to prevent vibration. So if we close the bridge Friday night, then we cast on Saturday by Sunday we will open it. That will be the last total closure to fix the last expansion joint.”
What you should know
- It can be recalled that the Federal Government announced the partial shutdown of the Third Mainland Bridge for 6 months on July 24 for another round of rehabilitation works.
- This was extended by an extra one month due to disruption caused by the #EndSARS protests last year, when the re-opening date moved to February 15, 2021.
- Traffic was partially diverted on a stretch of 3.5km where construction was ongoing between Adeniji Adeniji Ramp and Ebute Meta, while different time belts were allotted for traffic diversions on the bridge.
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US supports appointment of new service chiefs, affirms close ties with Nigeria
The US Government has endorsed President Buhari’s appointment of ex-military service chiefs.
The United States Government has expressed its support for the recent appointment of military service chiefs by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The new appointments are expected to bring new approaches to combating terrorism in the northeast and provide national security across the country.
According to a statement signed by the spokesperson for the US Department of States, Ned Price, this disclosure was made by the new US Secretary of State, Antony J. Blinken, during a phone call conversation with Nigeria’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, on Monday, March 1, 2021.
He also acknowledged the threats that violent extremists posed to Nigeria and regional security as a whole.
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While highlighting the importance that the United States placed on its relationship with Nigeria, Secretary Blinken outlined a holistic approach to the US-Nigeria partnership based on their shared values of democracy, respect for human rights and robust people-to-people relations.
The statement said that as part of efforts to ensure a good relationship with Nigeria, Blinken referred to President Biden’s revocation of immigrant visa restrictions on Nigeria as an affirmation of the close ties between Americans and Nigerians.
He also reiterated the support of the United States for Dr Ngozi Okonjo Iweala as the new Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Talking about the conversation with his US counterpart, Geoffrey Onyema expressed his delight at the discussion which covered a broad range of bilateral and multilateral issues.
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He said, “Very glad to re-engage, through a very nice phone call with US Secretary of State, Secretary Blinken. We covered a broad range of bilateral and multilateral issues and look forward to increased cooperation.”
On his part, Secretary Blinken said, “Delighted to speak with Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyema. We deeply value our bilateral relationship with Nigeria and look forward to rejuvenating our partnership based on shared values of democracy, respect for human rights, and robust people-to-people relations.”
What this means
This appears to be a renewed partnership and bilateral relationship between the United States and Nigeria, which seemed to have suffered some setbacks during the Trump administration.
This was clearly evident in visa restrictions on Nigeria and the refusal of the last US administration to support the confirmation of Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as the Director-General of the WTO despite the unanimous support of member states.
Very glad to re-engage, through a very nice phonecall, with US Secretary of State, @SecBlinken. We covered a broad range of bilateral and multilateral issues and look forward to increased cooperation. 🇳🇬🇺🇸 @USinNigeria @StateDept
— Geoffrey Onyeama (@GeoffreyOnyeama) March 1, 2021
