N6.28bn Approved For Third Mainland Bridge Maintenance

The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola on Wednesday announced the approval of N6.28bn for surface maintenance of the Third Mainland Bridge, Lagos State by the Federal Government.

According to Fashola, who spoke after this week’s Federal Executive Council meeting at the Presidential Villa, the rapair will be concluded in two years.

He added that it will cover 11 kilometers including interchanges, ramps, and critical links.

The former governor of Lagos State said that the move is in line with the Executive Order 11 signed by the President Muhammadu Buhari in April 2022, which gave legal backing to the country’s national maintenance policy.

This is coming barely two weeks after the Lagos State Government said it would undertake rehabilitation works on the 32-year-old Bridge to repair failed and peeled asphaltic sections and substructure.

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Arguing that there will be no duplication of effort, Fashola said “Council approved a fresh contract for the maintenance of the pavement of the third mainland bridge and this was approved in the sum of N6.28bn for a period of 24 months.

“I have been asked about the works that have been done on the bridge before. The works are concentrating largely on the substructure of the bridge; the underwater piles, the pile caps and also the replacement of the expansion joints and the bearings.

“These are maintenance works that are critical to the structural integrity of the bridge. What we’re dealing with now is different. It is the driving surface and also the aesthetics. Some of the rails have been stolen. Some of the pleats are misaligned at the routes that lead you on and off the bridge.”

Fashola added that there are no anticipated prolonged closures during the works.