The Federal Executive Council has approved a revised sum of N49 billion for the old Enugu‑Onitsha Road project. Minister of Works and Housing Babatunde Fashola briefed State House correspondents after the FEC meeting, presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. Fashola explained that his ministry sought and obtained two approvals from the council. “We presented two memoranda to the council; both were approved. The first concerns a contract cost revision by way of augmentation for the old Enugu‑Onitsha road from Opi Junction to Udi‑Oji and the Anambra border in Enugu State. The augmentation amounts to N17 billion, revising the contract sum to N49 billion with an additional completion time of 42 months,” he said.
The second approval relates to a fresh contract for the maintenance of the pavement of the Third Mainland Bridge. The minister noted that this maintenance work addresses public concerns about potholes on the bridge and was approved for N6.3 billion over a 24‑month period. “This aligns with Executive Order 11 signed by the President for the continued maintenance of public infrastructure,” Fashola added. The contract will resurface the entire deck of the 11‑kilometre bridge and its interchanges—Adeniji Adele, Adekunle, and Gbagada ramps—that link the bridge. He recalled that earlier works had focused mainly on the sub‑structure, including piles, underwater piles, pile caps, and the replacement of expansion joints and bearings.
According to the minister, the maintenance works are critical to the bridge’s structural integrity, restoring both the driving surface and its aesthetics. “Some rails have been stolen, and some planes are misaligned at the ramps that lead on and off the bridge. This work will address those issues and prevent future potholes,” he said.
— NAN
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