Rehabilitation of Third Mainland Bridge estimated at N3.6tn — FG

Abdullateef Fowewe

The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has indicated that repairing the structural integrity of Lagos State’s Third Mainland Bridge could require approximately N3.6 trillion.

He warned that significant underwater damage presents a risk to Nigeria’s most frequented bridge.

Following the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Wednesday in Abuja, Umahi elaborated that recent inspections uncovered considerable damage to the bridge’s supporting piles and piers, primarily due to illegal sand mining, erosion, and corrosion.

He mentioned that the estimated rehabilitation cost has now escalated to N3.8 trillion, while building an entirely new bridge would be slightly less expensive at around N3.6 trillion.

He said, “We have approval for at least seven specialist contractors to carry out detailed investigations, designs, and bids for both rehabilitation and new construction under an EPC+F [Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Financing] arrangement.”

Umahi further said the findings echoed previous assessments of Lagos’ Carter Bridge, which engineering firm Julius Berger had declared beyond repair, recommending its replacement at an estimated ₦359 billion.

As part of the FEC resolutions, the government plans to advertise public-private partnership (PPP) opportunities for the projects and engage international financiers, including Deutsche Bank, for funding support.

“The underwater problems are compounded by decades of neglect and human activities that have undermined the bridge’s foundations.

“We cannot delay. Whether we rehabilitate or rebuild, the resources and engineering expertise required will be enormous,” he added.

The minister added that the FEC had also approved urgent repairs on other damaged bridges nationwide, including the Jalingo Bridge in Taraba State, Ido Bridge (damaged by fire), Keffi Flyover in Nasarawa State, Mokwa Bridge in Niger State, a bridge along the Abuja–Kogi road, multiple bridges on the Lagos–Ibadan corridor hit by vehicles, the Jebba Bridge in Kwara State, and the Itokin–Ikorodu Bridge in Lagos.

“These emergency works will be documented and forwarded to the President for approval through the Ministry of Finance,” he said.

Opened in 1990, the Third Mainland Bridge remains Nigeria’s longest bridge and a vital transport artery for Lagos’ roughly 20 million residents.

While it has seen occasional maintenance over the years, Umahi stressed that the latest inspections revealed substructure damage far beyond earlier reports.