The Federal Ministry of Works in collaboration with the Lagos State government flagged off the rehabilitation project of the Third Mainland Bridge valued at N21.074 billion.
The Federal Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, accompanied by the Deputy Governor of Lagos, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, officially launched the commencement of the comprehensive repairs of the bridge in Lagos on Wednesday.
Details of the rehabilitation to be done on the Third Mainland Bridge
The Minister of Works noted that the amount budgeted for the rehabilitation was a result of an expansion of the scope of work to include the complete replacement of the asphalt of the bridge deck to the standard two inches to make motoring smoother and safer on the bridge.
Umahi stated that previous rehabilitation efforts on the bridge failed to address all the concerns for total restoration of the integrity of the bridge, hence the need to expand the scope of the repairs.
- “This is yet another milestone in the actualization of the renewed hope agenda of divine President Ahmed Bola Tinubu.
- “This amongst other things is aimed at the total repositioning of road and bridge infrastructure in Nigeria and to bring succour to road users who have suffered the effects of decayed infrastructure over the years,” he said.
Mr Umahi also mentioned that the Lagos State government will fix a spike on the guard railing of the bridge to deter suicide attempts on the bridge.
Furthermore, Umahi disclosed that the repair work of the four ramps of the Adekunle/Adeniji section of the bridge would be completed on or before December 13, while the maintenance of the main carriageways would begin in January 2024.
- “It is pertinent to state that the ongoing works being flagged off today only concern the superstructure elements of the bridge.
- “The ministry is currently carrying out investigations as well as the design of the piles, pile caps, and piers as well as the deflected deck slab.
- “This will lead to the award of a contract for the restoration of the substructure elements of the bridge at a later time.” Umahi stated.
Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway
After the flag-off of the comprehensive rehabilitation work on the Third Mainland Bridge, Umahi and Hamzat later visited the starting point of the proposed Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway where they had discussions with some firms.
The minister revealed that the coastal highway project would be built on a Public-Private partnership arrangement, noting that the starting point would be at Victoria Island near Eko Atlantic City.
Umahi said the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project would boost interconnectivity in the nation, while the other infrastructure along the project alignment would promote tourism, job creation, and interconnectivity.
On his part, the Lagos Deputy Governor assured that the Right of Way (RoW) of the project had been recovered by the state government.
Hamzat appealed to Lagos residents not to build or buy land along the project alignment, adding that, several problems in the built environment were caused by physical planning infractions.
Umahi was accompanied by the Director, of Highways Construction and Rehabilitation, Mr Adedamola Kuti; the Director of Highways, Bridges, and Designs, Mr Omotayo Awosanya, the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos State, and Mrs Olukorede Kesha, among others.
The Deputy Governor’s entourage consisted of the Permanent Secretary, Office of Infrastructure, Mr Olufemi Daramola, and other top directors of the Lagos State Ministry of Works and Infrastructure.
