The federal government have disclosed that the Second Niger Bridge will be partially opened to ease traffic flow in december.
This was stated by the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, while fielding questions from State House correspondents at the end of the weekly Federal Executive Council, meeting presided over by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), at the Council Chamber, Presidential Villa Abuja.
The Minister stated that the federal government was willing to open a portion of the second Niger Bridge to the public in December in order to relieve congestion on the existing bridge.
According to him, “Considering the untold hardships commuters go through on the Asaba-Onitsha road especially on the old Niger Bridge during festive period like the Christmas and New Year, federal government has decided to open one section of the 2nd Niger Bridge in December”
He stated that the bridge is nearly finished, though work on the approach roads from the Asaba end of the bridge is still ongoing, and that work on the approach roads from the Onitsha end has been completed.
After the festivities, he said, traffic will be diverted to the new bridge’s westbound lanes.
The former Lagos state governor also revealed that the government will close the entire 2nd Niger Bridge after the holiday season to allow contractors to finish the project and formally hand it over to the Nigerian government.
He attributed the current administration’s delay in completing the second Niger Bridge to a variety of factors, including the high rate of inflation, which has caused the project’s cost to skyrocket.
Fashola however promised that the project will be completed and commissioned by Buhari before he leaves office in May 2023.
