Second Niger Bridge To Be Completed Next Year – Minister Fashola

Babatunde Fashola, the Minister of Works and Housing, has stated that the Second Niger Bridge will be completed next year.

The minister provided the promise at a News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) conference in Abuja on Sunday to commemorate the current administration’s sixth year in office.

Mr Fashola stated that the bridge will be completed in the second and third quarters of 2022, and will act as a significant link between the south-east and south-west parts of Nigeria.

According to records, work on the bridge began on September 1, 2018, with a cost estimate of N336 billion when the contract was signed.

The minister, on the other hand, made no mention of whether the facility’s construction costs had changed since work began.

When completed, he claimed, the project would encourage an infusion of investments to the South-East.

Mr Fashola stated that the building work had progressed beyond the water level, indicating that the majority of bridge repairs were carried out underwater.

“So, what you see currently is the final work. The sub-structure which entailed building cement structures under water often costs a lot of money.

“We should finish the bridge next year between the second quarter and third quarter,’’ he affirmed, saying that construction time was lost because of COVID-19.

The 1.6-kilometer bridge will be finished next year, along with auxiliary infrastructure such as a 10.3-kilometer roadway and an interchange.

The bridge connects Asaba, Delta State, with Ozubulu, Ogbaru, and other Anambra State settlements.

In December of 1965, the existing Niger Bridge, which connects Onitsha and Asaba, was finished.

It was constructed by Dumez, a French construction behemoth.