The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola says the Second Niger Bridge will be fully open to motorists on May 15, 2023.
He stated this while inspecting and confirming the completion of the Loko-Oweto Bridge and link roads between Benue and Nasarawa states on Wednesday, April 6.
According to him, the project was undergoing necessary finishing works such as lane markings and others.
He added that the flag-off ceremony will be formally done by President Buhari.
“We had a periodic meeting in the office of the chief of staff to the president where the contractors, and our team, all reviewed the challenges [on the Second Niger Bridge] and how to solve them. The link road [of the bridge] that we formally opened to traffic, the date we have now is the 15th of May, as of yesterday ‘(Monday). We are rolling out all the steps to support the contractor to see that date is achieved.
A lot of snag resolutions are going to start; lane marking on the bridge will soon start and erection of signage will also soon start. Just about two weeks before the end of the term, the President will be invited to the completion, and maybe any day thereafter, he will be able to fly in and do the ceremony. But by the 15th of May, the bridge should be fully open to traffic.”he said.
The Minister also disclosed that the Lagos-Ibadan expressway will be completed by April 30.
Recall that on December 15, 2022, the federal government opened the Second Niger Bridge for use, in order to ease traffic in the southeast during the festive season. The bridge was opened for one month during the yuletide, and later closed to traffic on January 15, 2023.