The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has said that the structural rehabilitation of the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos State will cost more than ₦3 trillion.
Speaking to journalists after Wednesday’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja, Umahi disclosed that recent technical inspections had uncovered severe damage to the bridge’s piles and piers, largely caused by illegal sand mining, erosion, and corrosion.“
“The rehabilitation is estimated at ₦3.8 trillion, while a complete rebuild would cost about ₦3.6 trillion. We have approval for at least seven specialist contractors to carry out detailed investigations, designs and bids for both rehabilitation and new construction under an EPC+F [Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Financing] arrangement,” he said.
Umahi explained that similar studies had been carried out on the Carter Bridge in Lagos, where the findings concluded the structure was beyond repair. He said construction giant Julius Berger had advised the federal government to fully replace it at an estimated cost of ₦359 billion.
He added that under the FEC approvals, the government will advertise public-private partnership (PPP) bids for the projects and hold funding talks with international lenders, including Deutsche Bank.
“The underwater problems are compounded by decades of neglect and human activities that have undermined the bridge’s substructure,” the minister said.
“We cannot delay. If we decide on rehabilitation, it will require huge resources and specialised engineering. If we opt for a new build, it is slightly less costly but still a massive undertaking.”
The minister also confirmed that the FEC approved emergency interventions for several other compromised bridges across the country. These include the Jalingo Bridge in Taraba State, the fire-damaged Ido Bridge, the Keffi Flyover in Nasarawa State, the Mokwa Bridge in Niger State, a bridge on the Abuja–Kogi route, damaged bridges on the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway, the Jebba Bridge in Kwara State, and the Itokin–Ikorodu Bridge in Lagos.
“These emergency works will be documented and forwarded to the President for approval through the Ministry of Finance,” Umahi said.
Commissioned in 1990, the Third Mainland Bridge is Nigeria’s longest bridge and serves as a critical transport link for Lagos, a city of about 20 million people.
Although it has seen occasional maintenance over the years, Umahi noted that the recent inspections exposed far more extensive substructure damage than previously reported.
