The contract is expected to run for a period of 24 months, and essentially, to carry out maintenance that would address public concerns about the presence of potholes on the 11-kilometre bridge.
Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, made this known, while briefing State House Correspondents after this week’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting which was presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Fashola said the 24-month repair will cover 11 kilometres including interchanges, ramps, and critical links, adding that 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.
However, the announcement by the Federal Government is coming barely 2 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.
But, the minister insisted that there will be no duplication of efforts during the maintenance exercise.
He said the Lagos State’s Public Works Corporation will focus on the functional structure of the bridge such as the underwater piles, while the Federal Government will undertake surface maintenance to treat potholes and restore missing guard rails.
Specifically, 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.
“This is in consonance with 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.
“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.”
He added that there are no anticipated prolonged closures during the works.
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It will be recalled that a few days ago, the Lagos State Government announced a traffic diversion plan for the rehabilitation/repair work on identified failed/peeled asphaltic sections of the Bridge.
The state government said the repair work which would be done by Lagos State Public Works Corporation is expected to be carried out between 9.00 am to 4.00 pm on Sunday, April 2, 2023.