The construction of the second Niger Bridge has been completed, the Federal Government said on Wednesday.
Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, stated this in Abuja as part of the scorecard of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari 2015-2023.
The former Lagos Governor also said that the bridge will soon be opened to the public for use.
The Minister noted that the only factor delaying the official commissioning of the bridge is the construction of the link road which the recent surge of flooding has impeded.
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He said: “I can confirm that the second Niger Bridge itself is finished. People can walk through the bridge now unimpeded. What remains is the four-kilometer link road on the Asaba side.
“Right now, our dredger is in place, we have to rebuild the road by reclaiming sand, the recent surge of flood has slowed us down. On the Onitsha side, there is a 7kilometer road that links the bridge and the Onitsha-Owerri interchange.”
Asked when the bridge will be completely ready for use, the Minister noted that his target was December 2022.
He however said that heavy flooding in the area has impacted and slowed down the speed of work.
Not minding the impact of the flood, he assured the bridge would be inaugurated before the end of Buhari’s administration.
On road construction across the country, Fashola said the records that have been made available from previous budgets show that the last time Nigeria budgeted over N200 bn in a year’s budget for roads was in 2002.
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