FG to prioritise federal roads, unveils intervention programme

Umahi, on the second day of his tour of Lagos/Ogun State ongoing road projects, said the federal government would resurface the Third Mainland Bridge.

He said that government would embark on underwater investigations toward emergency maintenance closure of the bridge.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Umahi, a team of engineers and top directors of the Federal Ministry of Works took a boat from Ebute Ero Jetty to see structural members of bridges on the Lagoon.

The boat took Umahi who is a civil engineer and his team to inspect the Third Mainland Bridge, Carter Bridge and Eko Bridge, the oldest of the three bridges linking the Lagos Island to the Mainland.

NAN further reports that the minister also inspected the top of the Third Mainland Bridge.

Addressing journalists, the minister gave technical details of the deterioration of various underwater structural members of all the bridges and the need for emergency intervention to save them.

The minister said government was concerned about the structural integrity of components underneath the three bridges linking the mainland and Island.

He announced plans for another round of emergency repairs of the the Third Mainland Bridge due to level of deterioration.

The minister said N60 billion had already been approved for the maintenance of the top and underneath.

“We need to reinvestigate what is happening inside the water,” he said.

Umahi said that a contractor would soon be mobilised to site, to work between midnight and 4.00 a.m. in the morning on top of the Third Mainland Bridge for minimal stress on motorists.

He said that comprehensive report for all the bridges in Lagos would be made to also include a proposal for security infrastructure and surveillance to prevent vandalism.

The minister said the proposal, through a consultant, would be presented to the Federal Executive Council within 30 days for consideration.

He also inspected the Ikorodu – Sagamu dual carriageway which links Lagos and Ogun States and expressed satisfaction with the project about 85 per cent completed.

Umahi said the 30.5km Ikorodu-Sagamu Road was about 85 per cent completed, adding that the Ikorodu axis of the project would be redesigned.

He commended Arab Contractors, handling the project, for observing construction standards and terms of contractual agreement with the government.

However, while inspecting the Ikorodu-Itokin road, Umahi urged the Lagos government to take responsibility of maintenance while the federal government rehabilitates and makes the 34km single lane road a dual carriageway.

While responding to the dilapidation of federal roads in Edo State, Umahi said the ministry was willing to speed up approval for the state government to carry out rehabilitation of bad portions.

“If he (Edo State Gov. Godwin Obaseki) approaches me, the minister of works, and seeks permission, even if he sends me requests by WhatsApp or whatever, I will give him approval within two hours so that he can start; but I’m going to visit Edo State and I am going to look at those roads,” he said.

On his entourage were the Director, Federal Highways, South West, Adedamola Kuti; Director, Highways Bridges and Designs, Omotayo Awosanya; Lagos Controller of Works, Mrs Olukorede Kesha; and her Ogun counterpart, Mrs Forosola Oloyede.