The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved a contract for the pavement of the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos.
The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, disclosed this while briefing State House correspondents after the meeting of the council presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He said that maintenance would address public concerns about the presence of potholes on the bridge.
“And this was approved in the sum of N6.3 billion for a period of 24 months.
“This is in consonance with the Executive Order 11 signed by the president for the continued maintenance of public infrastructure.
“This contract responds to the questions on potholes that have become manifest on the entire pavement of the deck of the bridge spanning 11 eleven kilometres and the interchanges—Adeniji Adele, Adekunle and Gbagada ramps that all link the bridge; this is for the resurfacing of all that.
“Those who are familiar with the bridge will recall that all of these failures were not this manifest on the bridge as at the time we did some work; and 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 joints and the bearings.’’
According to Mr Fashola, a former governor of Lagos State, the maintenance works are critical to the structural integrity of the bridge.
He said the maintenance works would restore the driving surface and the aesthetics.
“Some of the rails that have been stolen; some of the planes that have misaligned at the ramps that lead you on and off the bridge.
“So, this is the work that is being done now; so all the experience, avoiding potholes on the bridge; this project will tackle that,’’ he said.
The bridge is the longest of the three bridges connecting the mainland to Lagos Island. The other two are Eko and Carter bridges.
The 11,800m Third Mainland Bridge was opened in 1990 during the military administration of President Ibrahim Babangida.
FEC’s approval comes barely two weeks after the Lagos State Government promised to rehabilitate the bridge by repairing failed and peeled asphaltic sections and substructure.
