ABUJA — The Federal Government has revealed that rehabilitating Lagos’ iconic Third Mainland Bridge could cost as much as N3.8 trillion, following the discovery of extensive underwater structural damage.
Minister of Works, David Umahi, made the disclosure on Wednesday while briefing State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu in Abuja.
According to Umahi, underwater inspections carried out in 2013 and 2019 on both the Carter and Third Mainland bridges uncovered serious substructure deterioration caused by illegal sand mining, erosion, and corrosion of piles and piers.
“For the Third Mainland Bridge, when we did a pro rata of what is to be done, rehabilitation came to about N3.8 trillion, while building a brand-new bridge came to about N3.6 trillion,” he said.
The minister explained that the proposal is part of ongoing emergency interventions on key bridges nationwide. He said FEC had granted approval under the EPC+F (Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Financing) framework for no fewer than seven specialist contractors to carry out comprehensive investigations, designs, and bids for either full reconstruction or rehabilitation of the bridges.
Umahi added that the council also approved advertisements for public-private partnerships (PPP) to enable private sector involvement in the massive repair project.
Beyond Lagos, the approvals cover works on several other bridges, including the Jalingo bridge in Taraba State, the Ido Bridge in Oyo State (damaged by fire), the Keffi Flyover in Nasarawa, Mokwa bridge in Niger, and a collapsed bridge on the Abuja–Kogi road.
Further inspections will also be carried out on the Lagos–Ibadan corridor bridges, the Jebba bridge in Kwara, and the Itokin–Ikorodu bridge in Lagos.
“These emergency works will be articulated and forwarded to Mr. President for approval through the minister of finance,” Umahi noted.
He also announced that the council had approved N493 billion for two major projects — the upgrade of the 152-kilometre Kano–Katsina road and the construction of a new Carter Bridge in Lagos State.
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