By Femi Akinola
The Nigerian Government has approved construction of 14 new roads and bridges in Borno, Adamawa, Enugu, Ekiti, and others to tame flooding and its devastating effects in the affected states.
The government’s decision was announced by the Minister of Works, David Umahi, during a press briefing following the FEC meeting at the seat of the Federal Government in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
Umahi explained that the approved projects also include road constructions in Cross River, Ondo, Osun, Ebonyi, Abia, and Imo states.
According to him, the Federal Executive Council ( FEC) also the awarded a contract for the repair and rehabilitation of the Gamboru Bridge, located along the Gambor-Ngala/Kala-Balge Road in Borno State.
He added that the FEC approved the rehabilitation of the Maraban-Kankara/Funtua Road in Katsina State and the construction of a 258-kilometer three-lane carriageway, a key component of the larger 1000-kilometer Sokoto/Badagry Super-highway, Section 2, Phase 2A.
The contract for the Bodo-Bonny Road in Rivers State was also approved, with Julius Berger set to execute the project. An additional N80 billion was allocated to this endeavor, increasing the total cost to N280 billion.
However, the FEC sanctioned the dualisation of the Afikpo-Uturu-Okigwe Road, which spans Ebonyi, Abia, and Imo states (Section 2).
Speaking about the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos, Umahi noted that when the current government took office, this bridge was in dire condition.
“The deck had a pavement differential of over one foot, which was causing numerous accidents and traffic congestion, adding significant stress to the bridge,” he explained.
“This issue extended to Falamo and Queens Drive and was addressed with the installation of solar lights, CCTV cameras, and relief stations to alleviate road blockages,” he added.
Meanwhile, the minister disclosed that FEC has approved the construction of a service lane on the Lekki Deep Seaport road. However, he condemned the situation where over 3000 fuel trucks waiting to load fuel at the Dangote Refinery were parked on the newly constructed Lekki-Calabar coastal highway.
He said, “By design, these roads were not built to support static loads, leading to various structural issues,” adding that the FEC approved the concessioning of Federal Government land in the area to allow for the construction of a parking facility for the trucks.
“This park will have a toll system, providing a safe place for the trucks to park. The pavement in such a facility will be designed differently from that of the roadway,” Umahi added.