Everything being equal, the second Niger bridge between Asaba and Onitsha will be completed before the end of the year, the Minister of Works, Mr Babatunde Fashola has disclosed.
The minister who was speaking in the company of the Chief of Staff to Mr President, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, and the Minister of Labor and Productivity, Dr Chris Ngige, expressed satisfaction with the pace of work on the project.
Led by the Managing Director of the contracting firm, Julius Berger, Dr Lars Richter, the team walked through the 1.6km length of the bridge from Onitsha end to Asaba end after also inspecting the interchange of the access road at the Onitsha-Owerri end.
Addressing journalists on the bridge, Fashola said power will be shut down for about two weeks as the Ministry of Power, the generating and distribution companies would seamlessly perfect means to relocate the 332-kilowatt transformer lines over the bridge by April.
While appealing for understanding, especially from electricity consumers in Anambra and Delta states, the minister said it was not too much price to pay in realising the new bridge.
“Nobody will be permanently dislocated but there will be a temporary disruption of power supply for about two weeks to allow such work to go on. It is very volatile if there is contact with human beings.”
On the bridge having a toll gate, Fashola said: “This will be a toll highway, whether it will be concessioned or not is another story entirely. The responsibility of our ministry is to deliver the asset in conjunction with the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA).
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