Julius Berger finally hands over 2nd Niger Bridge to FG

Julius Berger finally hands over 2nd Niger Bridge to FG 

• Solar system adopted for streetlight

The newly constructed Second Niger Bridge is now fully ready and open for use as Julius Berger, contractor of the bridge, has officially handed it over to the Federal Government.

The 1.6 kilometres long bridge links Anambra and Delta states and was estimated to ₦336bn.

Initially, the project was launched on May 23, 2023, during the eve of the former President Muhammad Buhari departure from the office.

However, there were ancillary roads and other construction works that needed to be done after the inauguration and its use was suspended.

In a short ceremony held at the toll area of the bridge, Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, expressed approval of the project.

He said that repairs on the vandalised sections were successfully executed by the contractor.

The minister commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his predecessor, Buhari for providing the needed support that led to the completion of the project.

He said the All Progressive Congress-led administration of President Tinubu would deliver more projects across the country.

The minister also commended the company, Julius Berger, for delivering the project.

He, however, noted that the interchange on the Asaba end of the road had not been done.

“This will ensure that road users do not have to go through Asaba town where they will encounter traffic hitches before accessing the bridge,” he said.

He also noted that the Federal Government planned to give the interchange work to investors who would recover their money from the toll plazas on the road.

He also said that Julius Berger and the Ministry of Works reached an agreement on the power supply issue on the road and bridge.

“We agreed that they will deploy solar system to tackle the power issue so that there will be constant light and this will improve security on the road,” he said.

Speaking during the handover, Managing Director of the company, Lars Richter, thanked the Federal Government for finding their company to carry out the project.

“We are very pleased to handover this project today to the client which is the Federal Government,” he said.

Director of Bridges Designs, South East of the ministry, Obioha Bede, urged the people of the region to make judicious use of the bridge.

He also urged them to protect the facilities from being vandalised.