PRESIDENT TINUBU APPROVES SIX MAJOR ROAD PROJECTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY, OKAYS THE PROPOSED DEMOLITION OF CARTER BRIDGE IN LAGOS, AND THE REDESIGN OF NEW BRIDGE
By Olayiwiola Ibrahim // In a statement released by the Elected President of Nigeria through the Minister of work, Mr David Umahi, the road projects approved for construction include:
1. The Suleja–Minna Road, which was originally awarded to Salini Construction Company but later terminated due to poor performance.
Works Minister David Umahi said only 10 km of the road was completed before the contract was cancelled.
He said the government has now resolved to complete the remaining 71 kilometres of the dual carriageway, with one carriageway awarded to China Geo-Engineering Corporation (CGC) at a cost of ₦91 billion.
The second carriageway, he added, has also received clearance from the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP).
2. Design and costing of a new Carter Bridge project in Lagos for N5.6 billion. Umahi said that technical evaluations and stakeholder consultations concluded that the existing Carter Bridge structure can no longer be rehabilitated and must be demolished and replaced.
He added that Advanced Engineering Consultants has been engaged to carry out the detailed design and cost assessment ahead of the procurement process for the construction of the new bridge.
3. Review and rescoping of the 132km Kano–Kongolam Road, a tax credit project originally awarded in 2022.
The road, which links Kano, Jigawa, and Katsina states, was initially planned as an asphalt road but has now been redesigned as a three-lane concrete carriageway.
The upgraded design will include solar-powered streetlights and closed-circuit television (CCTV) installations to enhance security along the route.
The revised project is estimated to cost ₦334 billion.
4. Reconstruction of the Abuja–Lokoja Road following the termination of contracts awarded to two underperforming contractors.
Umahi said the affected 86-kilometre section would now be reconstructed using reinforced concrete and handled by five contractors, including Julius Berger.
