The Federal Government has announced plans to shut the River Niger Bridge for seven days to allow contractors carry out urgent repairs and install additional security infrastructure following reports of vandalism.
Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, disclosed this on Friday during an inspection of the bridge and other ongoing road projects in the South-East and South-South regions.
Umahi said the temporary closure would enable contractors to work without the pressure of heavy traffic, while motorists would be diverted to the Second Niger Bridge throughout the period.
The minister said vandals had removed critical bolts and metal components from the bridge, describing the development as a serious threat to the safety of millions of motorists and other road users.
He said the government had ordered immediate rehabilitation of the affected sections and measures to prevent further attacks on the infrastructure.
According to Umahi, the entire asphalt surface on the bridge would be removed and replaced, while solar-powered lighting and CCTV cameras would also be installed.
He said the surveillance system would be linked to the security network on the Second Niger Bridge to enable security personnel monitor activities around the structure and apprehend anyone attempting to vandalise it.
“Whoever that tries to touch the bridge again is going to be arrested,” the minister said.
Umahi also expressed concern over the accumulated maintenance burden on the bridge, saying repeated layers of asphalt applied by successive administrations had contributed to traffic congestion.
He compared the situation to the maintenance challenges previously experienced on the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos.
The minister also inspected sections of the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway, where he directed contractors to identify and mill failed portions of the road before applying a new binder course.
He instructed contractors to complete one carriageway before moving to the other and encouraged night-time construction to minimise disruption to traffic.
He also directed that drainage channels along the route be desilted before further rehabilitation works begin, with the Federal Road Safety Corps and local traffic management officials expected to assist with traffic control.
Meanwhile, work on the access road to the Second Niger Bridge is being accelerated, with contractors working from both ends of the project to meet the completion target.
Controllers on the project said additional work space was expected to be made available in the coming week, including a five-kilometre stretch around the Obosi axis.
They said construction was progressing around Obosi, Mkpor, Ogidi and Ogbunike, including work on bridges along the alignment.
Anambra State Commissioner for Works, Okey Ezeobi, said the state government would provide the additional right of way requested by the contractors to facilitate faster execution.
Ezeobi disclosed that another five kilometres would be added to the available work space.
He commended President Bola Tinubu and the Minister of Works for ongoing road projects in the state and the wider South-East, saying improved connectivity would ease movement between communities and major commercial centres.
The planned closure of the River Niger Bridge is expected to temporarily increase reliance on the Second Niger Bridge as the Federal Government undertakes the repairs and security upgrades.
