FIRST NIGER BRIDGE WON’T REOPEN UNTIL MAJOR REPAIRS ARE COMPLETED – UMAHI
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Agency Report
The Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has said the First Niger Bridge will not be reopened to traffic until major structural rehabilitation works on the bridge are completed.
Umahi stated this on Wednesday at the Onitsha Bridge Head after inspecting ongoing rehabilitation work on the bridge linking Anambra and Delta states.
He said the Federal Government would not be pressured into reopening the bridge until critical structural components identified for rehabilitation had been properly repaired.
“We are not going to be stampeded to open the bridge until the major structural work has been achieved,” Umahi said.
The bridge was closed to traffic for emergency rehabilitation following the discovery of vandalised structural components, including bolts, nuts and portions of its expansion-joint steelwork.
The closure, initially scheduled to end on September 21, has been extended by one week due to persistent rainfall affecting the rehabilitation work.
Umahi commended the contractor, SKECC, for the progress recorded, saying the vandalised bolts had been replaced and secured.
He also disclosed that the specialised expansion joint stolen from the bridge had been manufactured and flown into the country for installation.
The minister described the progress made within about 10 days as commendable but stressed that the bridge would not be reopened at the expense of public safety.
Umahi directed the contractor to incorporate additional rehabilitation works, including repainting the bridge’s structural elements, caps and internal carriageway areas.
He also ordered the removal of illegal advertisements mounted on the bridge and the installation of additional solar-powered streetlights.
The minister directed the completion of CCTV cameras on the bridge and ordered that the surveillance system be linked to the Second Niger Bridge.
He further directed an empirical assessment of the bridge’s structural components below and above water level to determine their condition.
Umahi said the assessment report must be submitted to him before the completion of the current phase of rehabilitation.
On the bridge approaches, the minister directed a review of the proposed use of asphalt, saying concrete should be used on sections that would subsequently undergo reconstruction.
He explained that the measure would prevent the government from spending money on asphalt that could later be destroyed during reconstruction of the approaches.
Umahi added that one carriageway could be opened once the concrete attained the required strength while rehabilitation continued on the other carriageway.
Speaking on behalf of the governors of Delta and Anambra states, the Delta State Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, Charles Aniagwu, commended the Federal Government for intervening in the rehabilitation of the bridge.
Aniagwu recalled that Umahi had inspected the bridge on August 28 and directed the replacement of the vandalised bolts, nuts and expansion-joint components.
He said the directives had been implemented, while sections of the deteriorated asphalt surface had also been scarified and replaced.
“We are pleased with the speed of work. We want to also appreciate our people who demonstrated a whole lot of patience to understand that you are after their safety,” Aniagwu said.
He said the rehabilitation had significantly improved the condition of the bridge and expressed confidence that the work would stand the test of time.
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