The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has disclosed that the repair of the 3rd Mainland Bridge will cost ₦ 3.86 trillion, while the reconstruction is estimated at a lower cost of ₦ 3.6 trillion.
He stated this when the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, paid him a courtesy visit on Saturday in Abakaliki.
Umahi said, “And for the 3rd Mainland Bridge, to repair it will cost us N3.86 trillion, but to construct a new 3rd Mainland Bridge will cost us N3.6 trillion.
“Now, that is the findings we took to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) Meeting. We did not take it there for the contract to be awarded; we only brought the estimated findings as done by Julius Berger Ltd.
“Therefore, no contract has been awarded for the reconstruction of the 3rd Mainland Bridge and Carter Bridge. Any information outside of this is incorrect.
“And we believe strongly that if we expose these findings to more industry experts or players, they may come up with a better solution and a better cost, too.
Umahi spoke further that the defects on the 3rd Mainland Bridge and the Carter Bridge were not new, noting that he had been engaging stakeholders on the matter.
He explained that the 3rd Mainland Bridge, which is over 50 years old, was assessed in 2013 and 2019, and that deliberations were held with experts on how to address identified issues.
The minister added that while the Carter Bridge also required rehabilitation, works on the Eko Bridge were ongoing.
“From our findings, to rehabilitate the Carter Bridge could cost us N386 billion, but to do a brand new bridge would be at about N359 billion.
“But the important thing is for FEC to note that we have a problem with the two bridges; so, nobody has awarded any contract in that regard,” Umahi stressed.
He expressed that the Federal Government had already closed the 3rd Mainland Bridge to heavy trucks, while it would also close the Carter Bridge to heavy trucks by Sept.
According to him, the only bridge now open for the movement of heavy-duty vehicles from Lagos Island to the Mainland is the Independence Bridge, which he said had been rectified.
Umahi recalled that the Eko Bridge was once completely burnt, but that rehabilitation works on it were currently ongoing.
“Now, for the way forward, FEC approved that there should be an advertisement for experts in bridge construction to bid with a quotation to do comprehensive rehabilitation of the two bridges.
“We want them to do the investigation, the design, costing, and submit, or tell us the cost of constructing new ones.
“Another option is that we are also opening it to public-private partnership for the private sector to come and get involved, build the bridges, toll it and recover their money.
“So nobody has awarded a contract for the reconstruction of the 3rd Mainland Bridge for N3.6 trillion or a contract for the Carter Bridge,” Umahi reiterated.
The three major bridges connecting Lagos Island to the Mainland are the Carter Bridge, built in 1901; the 3rd Mainland Bridge, whose first phase was commissioned in 1980 by President Shehu Shagari and completed in 1990 by Gen. Ibrahim Babangida. The third is the Eko Bridge, which was constructed in phases between 1965 and 1975.
To a non-specialist, it might not be very clear that the cost of repair at #3.86 trillion is higher than the cost of reconstruction at #3.6 trillion; however, findings by Thediggernews from experts reveal that the higher cost of repair might be attributed to several factors and reasons in infrastructure, particularly with complex structures like bridges.
