The Federal Government has dismissed claims that a ₦6.3 trillion contract has been awarded to Julius Berger for the reconstruction of the 3rd Mainland Bridge in Lagos. Minister of Works David Umahi clarified this on Saturday when he received the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, on a courtesy visit in Abakaliki. He explained that while Julius Berger carried out an assessment of the bridges and presented estimated costs, no contract has yet been awarded.
“We did not take it [to the Federal Executive Council] for contract to be awarded, we only brought estimated findings as done by Julius Berger Ltd. Therefore, no contract has been awarded for the reconstruction of 3rd Mainland Bridge and Carter Bridge. Any information aside this is not correct,” Umahi stressed. He added that repairing the 3rd Mainland Bridge could cost as much as ₦3.86 trillion, while constructing a new one would be around ₦3.6 trillion. For the Carter Bridge, he said rehabilitation was estimated at ₦386 billion compared to ₦359 billion for a new structure. Umahi noted that the bridges remain a priority, with the federal government closing the 3rd Mainland Bridge to heavy trucks and set to do the same with the Carter Bridge by September, while rehabilitation works continue on the Eko Bridge.
