David Umahi, Minister of Works, has alerted the National Assembly to the critical delays in the Third Mainland Bridge’s rehabilitation, emphasizing that failure to accelerate the work could lead to a reconstruction cost of N6 trillion.
Umahi’s concerns were raised during a tour of key infrastructure projects in Lagos on Friday, where he was joined by the National Assembly Joint Committee on Works.
Highlighting the urgent need for action, Umahi advocated for the declaration of a State of Emergency on the Third Mainland Bridge to fast-track essential underwater repairs and prevent further damage.
He warned of the substantial financial and safety risks posed by continued delays. In a similar vein, Umahi recommended a State of Emergency for the Carter Bridge to ensure swift repair work and avoid looming disasters
- “We have critical underwater challenges on the Third Mainland Bridge.
- “The first is the deflection of the slab, which is nothing to worry about as we shall repair it as we did on Eko Bridge and it will stop deflecting.
- “The second one is the deterioration of the piers, the pier caps and the pier cap covers. The contractor is already mobilised about four weeks ago and is working on it.
- “Cost of rehabilitation of the Third Mainland Bridge is estimated at N21 billion,’’ he said.
He emphasized that a failure to accelerate the rehabilitation of the Third Mainland Bridge could lead to reconstruction cost amounting to N6 trillion.
Umahi pointed out that the deterioration of the bridge’s pillars was due to illegal sand mining, natural underwater currents, and the rusting of the steel casings.
The Works Minister mentioned that the Federal Government recently mobilized N6 billion to Julius Berger Nigeria PLC., the contractor responsible for the rehabilitation of the Third Mainland Bridge, out of the total N21 billion required for the project.
More insight
- Regarding the Carter Bridge, Umahi identified illegal sand mining, natural underwater currents, and rusting of the steel casings of the bridge’s pillars as contributing factors to its deterioration.
- He also disclosed that the rehabilitation of Carter Bridge would cost N25 billion and noted that about a week ago, the Federal Government mobilized N7 billion to Julius Berger Nigeria PLC, the contractor handling the project.
- In his remarks, the Chairman of the Joint National Assembly Committee on Works, Sen. Barinada Mpigi, endorsed Umahi’s findings and called for support from the National Assembly. He highlighted the significant financial burden that would fall on the Federal Government for the reconstruction of the Third Mainland and Carter bridges if they were to fail due to inadequate rehabilitation.
- Mpigi acknowledged the National Assembly’s readiness to back the Works Minister in declaring a State of Emergency for the two bridges in Lagos. However, he clarified that the authority to initiate such a declaration rests with President Bola Tinubu.
- Senator Mpigi also pointed out that the allocations in the 2024 budget would be insufficient to cover some of the projects.