₦airaland Forum

The federal government has approved the demolition and reconstruction of the Carter Bridge at a cost of N548.98 billion, citing severe structural deterioration beneath the water.

The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, announced the decision on Thursday after the meeting of the Federal Executive Council in Abuja.


Mr Umahi said multiple technical assessments carried out over more than a decade found that the bridge’s underwater piles and pile caps had deteriorated beyond repair, leaving full reconstruction as the only viable option.

“We convocated a stakeholders’ engagement, and all the technical experts all over the country, and even internationally, all agreed that we could not redeem Carter Bridge, and it has to be completely demolished and rebuilt,” he nnoted

He added that investigations conducted in 2013 and 2019, as well as a more recent review under the current administration involving Julius Berger, reached the same conclusion.


According to the minister, the rate of deterioration followed what he described as a “geometrical progression,” particularly affecting critical underwater components.

The contract for the project was awarded to China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation after a competitive bidding process involving several firms, including Julius Berger, CCECC, CBC and China Harbour High Tech.

Mr Umahi explained the redesigned bridge would be longer and structurally upgraded to ease traffic congestion. The total length will increase from 1.525 kilometres to 1.93 kilometres, with the addition of a flyover ramp aimed at eliminating longstanding bottlenecks.

“We’ve gone through rigorous procurement and design. The initial total length of that bridge was 1.525 kilometres, with three lanes, dualised. We have now increased the project to 1.93 kilometres because we increased a flyover ramp, so that the bottleneck that is usually there will no longer exist. The total contract sum approved is N548.98 billion,” he stressed.

He added that the new structure would include dual navigational waterways measuring 105 metres each to improve marine movement.

In a related development, the council also approved N24.89 billion for the rehabilitation of underwater components of the Third Mainland Bridge. The work will be handled by Julius Berger as part of projects scheduled for commissioning ahead of the third anniversary of President Bola Tinubu on 29 May.

The Carter Bridge, one of Lagos’ oldest transport links, connects Lagos Island to the mainland and serves as a major route across the Lagos Lagoon. Named after former colonial governor Gilbert Carter, the bridge has long been central to the city’s traffic network.

In recent years, authorities have imposed restrictions on heavy-duty vehicles and carried out periodic repairs following concerns over its structural integrity.

Experts have attributed its deterioration to age, heavy traffic load and prolonged exposure to the corrosive saltwater environment.

AMINDA:
Lagos again. Nothing for the other South? This "turn of the South" is looking skewed o. Anyways, the other part of the South claims they are not desperate for the presidency and are succeeding without being president but their unborn children will not be exempted from paying these loans for projects that are sited in Lagos.

Forkthiefnubu:
The other south is being held captive by Nigeria , you don’t like them and at same time don’t want them to go because Nigeria continue to use them as slaves

SonOfDSoil01:
no body is holding you from going………blame Azikiwe for shortsightedness for not including secession clause in the constitution when awolowo and Ahmadu bello called for the inclusion but rather made it a treasonable offence……..the only way out now is to lobby your reps in the NA to sponsor a bill for referendum and move back to your region while you at it, so the rest of us can take you seriously…….enough with the cries already

sagitariusbaby:
Tinubu is borrowing money from around the world in the name of Nigeria only to pour it in Lagos alone while the rest of us lay for it then tomorrow the agbero urchins in Lagos will say Lagos is exclusively theirs.

AMINDA:
Lagos again. Nothing for the other South? This "turn of the South" is looking skewed o. Anyways, the other part of the South claims they are not desperate for the presidency and are succeeding without being president but their unborn children will not be exempted from paying these loans for projects that are sited in Lagos.

eldoradoxx:
I hope that Lagos belongs to their great grand ancestors who built everything in Lagos without Federal Government support will understand that it is the money that belongs to all Nigerians that Federal Government has been pouring into construction and reconstruction in Lagos State. So far under Tinubu alone, infrastructure in Lagos alone has consumed multiple trillions of Naira with most of the loans you are hearing about obtained on behalf of all Nigerians to fund infrastructure in Lagos, whether it is road, airport, rail etc We have absolutely no problem with that. Let's just keep it on record, in case of tomorrow, they will claim it is their sweat alone that built Lagos, other Nigerians do not deserve to be in Lagos. Myself I do not live in Lagos and do not ever intend to live in Lagos.

Hezzyluv:
I gree with una on this one.

Since the bridge has deteriorated beyond repair, constructing another one should be a welcome idea. No be till the thin break into two k!LL people.

Uchek:
How can one man defeat two men and make secession treasonable felony?

Dogalmighty17:
Let Tinubu just admit that he became president just to develop Lagos

AMINDA:
Lagos again. Nothing for the other South? This "turn of the South" is looking skewed o. Anyways, the other part of the South claims they are not desperate for the presidency and are succeeding without being president but their unborn children will not be exempted from paying these loans for projects that are sited in Lagos.

integrity16:
The highest non oil revenue to federal pulse is generated in Lagos State. So rest!