The Minister of Works, David Umahi, on Wednesday said the government would give special attention to maintenance of all federal roads across the nation.
Umahi made the pledge on the second day of his tour of ongoing Federal Government projects in Lagos and Ogun States.
He said the Federal Government would resurface the Third Mainland Bridge, adding that it would embark on underwater investigations towards emergency maintenance closure of the bridge.
The News Agency of Nigeria 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 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.
Umahi said the 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 Third Mainland Bridge due to the level of deterioration.
The former Ebonyi State Governor 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.
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Umahi said a contractor would soon be mobilised to site to work between midnight and 4am on top of the Third Mainland Bridge for minimal stress on motorists.
He said that a 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 that is about 85 percent 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-Itoikin Road, Umahi urged the Lagos State Government to take responsibility for the maintenance, while the Federal Government rehabilitates and makes the 34km single lane road a dual carriage way.
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.
He said: “If he (Edo State Governor 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.”
On his entourage of Umahi were the Director, Federal Highways, South West, Adedamola Kuti; Director, Highways Bridges and Designs, Omotayo Awosanya; Lagos State Controller of Works, Olukorede Kesha; and her Ogun State counterpart, Forosola Oloyede.
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