Second Niger Bridge is completed, ready for use soon, says Fashola

 

The Federal Government on Wednesday said the Second Niger Bridge linking Anambra and Delta states will soon be open for public use.

Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, disclosed this at a ministerial press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday.

He said the Second Niger bridge itself has been "finished" and "people can walk through the bridge now unimpeded".

According to him, what remains to be completed is the four-kilometer link road on the Asaba side.

"The first thing we did when we came into power was we expanded our budget on road infrastructure, sought alternative sources of funding through SUKUK, Infrastructure Tax Credit Scheme."

He said his ministry completed 12 road projects covering about 896km, commissioned and handed them over to different communities.

He also said the government is executing 83 road rehabilitation projects in federal tertiary institutions across the country with 66 projects completed and 46 commissioned.

The bridge, which was conceived years ago before the Buhari administration came on board, became a reality, following the decision of Federal Government, through the Ministry of Works and Housing, to ensure that a new bridge is put in place to complement the existing one, which is over 50 years old.

Fashola in a previous chat with journalists had said the bridge would be ready for use before December.

"Our priority is to open the second Niger bridge to traffic by December so that those travelling for the season will do so at ease. We are committed to opening the bridge to traffic by December and I can assure you that, with the level of work done, the set target will be met."