Minister of Works and Housing Babatunde Raji Fashola said the Loko-Oweto Bridge has been completed and ready for opening before the end of President Muhammadu Buhari's administration.
The minister disclosed this yesterday during a pre-inspection visit to Loko-Oweto Road and the bridge.
Describing the bridge as a national infrastructure with immense socio-economic benefits for the contiguous states and indeed the entire nation, Fashola said that the project has once again demonstrated the president's commitment to bridging the infrastructure gap in the country.
The minister also disclosed that the Second Niger bridge will be opened on May 15, 2023.
He said they have essentially kept to the timeline, courtesy of the contractors, and ministry's staff, saying that they deserve the commendation of all Nigerians for the work that they have done.
"So, this is the Loko-Oweto bridge and I believe that some of you were here in January with me to assess the level of progress. And our contractors then promised that by the end of March, that this project will be complete. So that's why we're here today. Today is the 4th of April. So, they indicated last week that they had finished and you saw as we crossed each of the sections all of them with our officers reporting the completion.
"So, what remains now on this project is to send a report to the Office of the President to say that on this project, mission accomplished, and whatever date is then possible, given his now crowded calendar between now and inauguration, if you can come here, to do a ceremonial handover. Otherwise, the project is finished and open to traffic and work is done.
" This is the bridge that crosses the River Benue. So, the Second Niger Bridge crosses the River Niger and this is a North-South link. The River Niger is an East-West link.
"This links the North of Nigeria to the South of Nigeria, and one of the things that this bridge has done first is to reduce the travel time. If you are coming from the south-east, for example, and you go through Otukpo to link Nasarawa, instead of going through Lafia to Keffi, you can now pass Loko and burst out at Keffi. That reduces your journey time by about four hours. This is what this bridge has done in terms of business efficiency, reduction of travel time, reduction of travel costs, and ultimately, ease of doing business.
"In terms of scope, there are two bridges here, the main bridge is 1.8 kilometers long. So, it is 200 meters longer than the main bridge of the Second Niger Bridge. Although the Second Niger Bridge has a total of three bridges, and in terms of project scope, they aggregate to about 2.6 kilometers. The two bridges here aggregate to 2.2 kilometres. But individually, in terms of river crossing, this is 200 meters longer than Niger bridge.
"Whilst a lot of attention is focused on the Niger Bridge, very serious magnificent work is also being done here by the President and his government. Nobody should lose sight of that. And I've asked people: how many African countries are even able to do these kinds of bridges across the rivers in today's economy, because perhaps, if this was done in another country, some of our cynics would have been telling us to go and see what they are doing in that country of the world. But this is happening right at home, and I'm sure we should be proud to project these developments because they are the basis of our future prosperity - linking people, creating opportunities, creating trade, driving commerce, and economic exchange," he said.
He revealed that on 3rd March, 2023, they had a periodic meeting in the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President where the contractors and the ministry's team reviewed the challenges and how to solve them.
He said, "The dates that we have now for the completion of the link road, because the bridge itself is finished, as you saw when we went there, that is, the second Niger bridge. The link road that we formally opened to traffic, the date we have now is the 15th of May, as of yesterday. We are rolling out all the stops to support the contractor to see that that date is achieved.
"A lot of snag resolutions are going to start; lane marking on the bridge will soon start, erection of signages will also soon start. Just about two weeks before the end of term, the President will be invited to the completion, and maybe any day thereafter, he will be able to fly in and do the ceremonial. But by the 15th of May, the bridge should be fully open to traffic."
Speaking on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway the minister said it will be completed April 30.
"The date we have now, and once again, I want to appeal first to commuters on that road for their continuous patience, forbearance and understanding - it is a difficult project to execute because it is perhaps one of the busiest roads in the country.
"Building through 40,000 vehicular traffic daily is not an easy undertaking, we can't shut down the road. So, we have to also manage and divert traffic for the safety of those who are involved in the construction.
"So, I want to implore that forbearance continue because the headline date we have for completion now is the 30th of April this month. So, in barely about four weeks, 26 days, plus or minus, that road should also be fully completed, open to traffic from Lagos to Ibadan, and beyond the toll gate up to kilometer 116. That will be done by the 30th of April.
"What will be left is nine kilometres, from kilometres 17 to 27. And the reason why that will be left is that the Oyo State government is constructing a drainage across the road, and we have decided that we need the drainage because it will help address the issue of excessive flooding and climate change in Oyo State.
"But we believe that it is better to wait for them to finish that project, and then complete the remaining 9 kilometers, instead of building it now and then having them cut it up again. So, just 9 kilometers outside Ibadan is what will be left. But by the 30th of April, from Lagos tollgate to Ibadan tollgate, the road should be open on the 30th of April for traffic," he said.
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The minister said Abuja-Kano Road is the biggest of the three projects in terms of scope, in terms of size, in terms of budget because it is 375 kilometres.
He said the Abuja-Kaduna road will not be finished in this administration, adding that the busiest part, is the Kaduna to Abuja side that has suffered all kinds of delays and won't be finished in the life of this administration.
He said, "It is the most trafficked side. It has almost 40,000 vehicles in the traffic every day. But those are not just the problems, the problems are that the right of way has been severely encroached between FCT, Niger and Kaduna states. We're working with the governors to help relocate all the obstructions, otherwise, we can't fully build it.
"Apart from that, the project is also delayed by the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano gas pipeline project. We need that gas pipeline project as a major boost for our energy security. The pipe passes under that road. Again, the choice before us: we build, then they cut or we wait and let them finish.
"So, these are some of the challenges that are unseen to members of the public. We want to have the road and we want to have the gas pipeline. So, we have to take them in sequence and in order."
