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The Federal Executive Council, on Wednesday, approved N6.28 billion for surface maintenance of the third mainland bridge in Lagos State.

The approval was given at the meeting of the Council presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, at the Council Chambers, Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, who briefed the media after the meeting, said that the maintenance of the third mainland bridge would take 24 months and would cover 11 kilometres, including interchanges, ramps and critical links.

He said the move aligns with Executive Order 11 signed by President Muhammadu Buhari, in April 2022, which gave legal backing to the country’s national maintenance policy.

The Minister said there would be no duplication of efforts by the federal government or the state government that has also begun maintenance on some sections of the bridge adding that the State’s Public Works Corporation would focus on the functional structure of the bridge such as the underwater piles, while the federal government would undertake surface maintenance to treat potholes and restore missing guard rails.

He also said Council approved a N17.5 billion variation for the contract for the construction of the old Enugu-Onitsha road whose current sum now stands at N48.99bn.

“We presented two memoranda to the council and both were approved. The first was with regard to contract cost revision by way of augmentation for the old Enugu/Onitsha Road, from Opi Junction, all the way to Udioji to Anambra border in Enugu state.

“The augmentation was in the sum of N17,050,000,000, which revised the contract to N48,996,488,925 Naira with an additional completion time of 42 months.

“The second contract was a fresh contract for the maintenance of the pavement of the Third Mainland Bridge and this was approved in the sum of N6,278,063,585.58 for a period of 24 months. This is in consonance with Executive Order 11 signed by Mr. President for the continued maintenance of public infrastructure.

“Now, some of you might ask, I was asked before that, okay, we did some work on Third Mainland Bridge before, why were there potholes now on it? So, this contract is in response to the potholes that have become manifest on the entire pavement of the deck of the bridge, spanning 11 kilometers and the interchanges at Adeniji Adele, Adekunle, and Gbagada ramps that all link the bridge.

“This is for the resurfacing and all of that. Those who are familiar with the bridge will recall that all of these failings were not this manifest on the bridge at the time we were doing the work we were doing.

“The work that we did concentrated largely on the sub-structure of the bridge, the piles, the underwater piles, the pile caps, and also the replacement of the expansion joint and the bearings. These are maintenance works that are critical to the structural integrity of the bridge.”

Fashola said the work would include be the driving surface and the aesthetics, some of the rails that have been stolen and some of the planes that are misaligned at ramps that lead you on and off the bridge.