The Federal Government (FG) has approved N49 billion as the revised sum for the old Enugu-Onitsha road project.

The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, made this known while speaking with State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Wednesday, April 12.

Fashola disclosed that his ministry sought and obtained two approvals from the council, saying: “We presented two memoranda to the council; both were approved; the first is with regards to contract cost revision by way of augmentation for the old Enugu-Onitsha road from Opi junction all the way to Udi-Oji to Anambra border in Enugu State.

“The augmentation was in the sum of N17 billion which revised the contract sum to N49 billion with an additional completion time of 42 months.”

The minister said the second contract was a fresh contract for the maintenance of the pavement of the third mainland bridge.

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He said the maintenance would address public concerns on the presence of potholes on the bridge, adding: “This was approved in the sum N6.3 billion for a period of 24 months.

“This is in consonance with Executive Order 11 signed by the president for the continued maintenance of public infrastructure.

“This contract responds to the questions on potholes that have become manifest on the entire pavement of the deck of the bridge spanning 11 eleven kilometres and the interchanges — Adeniji Adele, Adekunle, and Gbagada ramps that all link the bridge; this is for the resurfacing of all that.

“Those who are familiar with the bridge will recall that all of these failures were not this manifest on the bridge as at the time we did some work; and the work that we did concentrated largely on the sub-structure of the bridge – the piles, the underwater piles; the pile caps and also the replacement of the expansion joints and the bearings.”

Fashola further stated that the maintenance works are critical to the structural integrity of the bridge, adding that they would restore the driving surface and the aesthetics.

“Some of the rails that have been stolen; some of the planes that have misaligned at the ramps that lead you on and off the bridge.

“So, this is the work that is being done now; so all the experience, avoiding potholes on the bridge; this project will tackle that,” the minister added.

The Star