According to Works Minister Dave Umahi, the Third Mainland Bridge needs immediate rehabilitation or total reconstruction; the estimated costs for rehabilitation and reconstruction are ₦3.8 trillion and ₦3.6 trillion, respectively.
According to him, the bridge’s underwater structures have issues, so repairs are inevitable.
Speaking at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, where President Bola Ahmed Tinubu presided over a recent Federal Executive Council meeting, Umahi revealed that the council had also approved ₦493 billion for two major projects: ₦134 billion to upgrade the 152-kilometer Kano–Katsina Road and ₦359 billion to rebuild Lagos’ Carter Bridge.
He claimed that structural damage had rendered the 11.8-kilometer Carter Bridge irreparable, while economic factors had increased the cost of the Kano–Katsina Road.
The Federal Government issued an order last week prohibiting heavy-duty vehicles from using the Third Mainland Bridge.
“We are having a very deep conversation on the Third Mainland Bridge and Carter Bridge, among other emergency jobs you’ve been seeing in Lagos,” Umahi continued.
The Federal Government estimated earlier this year that the Third Mainland and Carter bridge would require ₦21 billion and ₦25 billion, respectively, in rehabilitation.
