August 14, (THEWILL) — The Minister of Works, David Umahi, says the rehabilitation of the Third Mainland Bridge will cost about N3.6 trillion.
Briefing State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa on Wednesday, Umahi said inspections had revealed severe damage to the bridge’s underwater structures, necessitating urgent repairs.
Inaugurated in 1990, the Third Mainland Bridge is Nigeria’s longest bridge and a critical transport link for Lagos’ over 20 million residents.
While it has undergone periodic maintenance, Umahi said recent assessments uncovered far more extensive substructure deterioration than previously recorded. The damage, he explained, was largely caused by illegal sand mining, erosion, and corrosion.
According to him, rehabilitation works are now estimated at N3.8 trillion, while the construction of an entirely new bridge would cost slightly less, at about N3.6 trillion.
“We have approval for at least seven specialist contractors to carry out detailed investigations, designs, and bids for both rehabilitation and new construction under an EPC+F [Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Financing] arrangement,” he said.
The minister compared the findings to earlier studies on the Carter Bridge in Lagos, which contractor Julius Berger declared beyond repair, recommending a full replacement at an estimated N359 billion.
He added that the government will advertise public-private partnership bids for the projects and open funding talks with international lenders, including Deutsche Bank.
“The underwater problems are compounded by decades of neglect and human activities that have undermined the bridge’s foundations.
“We cannot delay. Whether we rehabilitate or rebuild, the resources and engineering expertise required will be enormous,” he stated.
Umahi also announced FEC’s approval for emergency interventions on other damaged bridges nationwide, including the Jalingo Bridge in Taraba State, Ido Bridge in Oyo State, Keffi Flyover in Nasarawa State, Mokwa Bridge in Niger State, a bridge on the Abuja–Kogi route, bridges on the Lagos–Ibadan corridor damaged by vehicles, the Jebba Bridge in Kwara State, and the Itokin–Ikorodu Bridge in Lagos.
“These emergency works will be documented and forwarded to the President for approval through the Ministry of Finance,” he said.
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