Federal govt approves N548.98bn to demolish, rebuild Carter Bridge in Lagos

The federal government has approved the demolition and reconstruction of the Carter Bridge at a cost of N548.98 billion, citing severe structural deterioration beneath the water.

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The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, announced the decision on Thursday after the meeting of the Federal Executive Council in Abuja.

Mr Umahi said multiple technical assessments carried out over more than a decade found that the bridge’s underwater piles and pile caps had deteriorated beyond repair, leaving full reconstruction as the only viable option.

“We convocated a stakeholders’ engagement, and all the technical experts all over the country, and even internationally, all agreed that we could not redeem Carter Bridge, and it has to be completely demolished and rebuilt,” he noted.

He added that investigations conducted in 2013 and 2019, as well as a more recent review under the current administration involving Julius Berger, reached the same conclusion.

According to the minister, the rate of deterioration followed what he described as a “geometrical progression,” particularly affecting critical underwater components.

The contract for the project was awarded to China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation after a competitive bidding process involving several firms, including Julius Berger, CCECC, CBC and China Harbour High Tech.

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Mr Umahi explained the redesigned bridge would be longer and structurally upgraded to ease traffic congestion. The total length will increase from 1.525 kilometres to 1.93 kilometres, with the addition of a flyover ramp aimed at eliminating longstanding bottlenecks.

“We’ve gone through rigorous procurement and design. The initial total length of that bridge was 1.525 kilometres, with three lanes, dualised. We have now increased the project to 1.93 kilometres because we increased a flyover ramp, so that the bottleneck that is usually there will no longer exist. The total contract sum approved is N548.98 billion,” he stressed.

He added that the new structure would include dual navigational waterways measuring 105 metres each to improve marine movement.

In a related development, the council also approved N24.89 billion for the rehabilitation of underwater components of the Third Mainland Bridge. The work will be handled by Julius Berger as part of projects scheduled for commissioning ahead of the third anniversary of President Bola Tinubu on 29 May.

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The Carter Bridge, one of Lagos’ oldest transport links, connects Lagos Island to the mainland and serves as a major route across the Lagos Lagoon. Named after former colonial governor Gilbert Carter, the bridge has long been central to the city’s traffic network.

In recent years, authorities have imposed restrictions on heavy-duty vehicles and carried out periodic repairs following concerns over its structural integrity.

Experts have attributed its deterioration to age, heavy traffic load and prolonged exposure to the corrosive saltwater environment.