December 07, (THEWILL) – Ahead of the 2022 yuletide season, the Federal Government has announced a date for the opening of the Second Niger Bridge.
The Federal Controller of Works in Delta, Jimoh Olawale, on Wednesday, said that the Bridge will be opened to traffic on December 15, adding that it would be open for only 30 days.
According to him, the Minister of Works, Babatunde Fashola, ordered the opening of the bridge, which is 95 percent completed, to ease traffic during the Yuletide.
“As we know, during the Christmas celebration, commuters suffer hardship accessing the old Niger Bridge due to traffic jams but with this arrangement, traffic congestion on Asaba-Benin Expressway will ease.
“We have notified the State Government of this arrangement and we are working with the Federal Roads Safety Corps to ensure a hitch free vehicular movement.
“Motorists going towards Owerri direction would divert through the access road near the old Niger Bridge to the new bridge”, the controller added.
Olawale also debunked claims that the Federal Government had abandoned the payment of compensation to property owners along the access road to the Bridge.
“The Federal Government has appointed a consultant, Messrs C.O. Akpabor and Company, to enumerate the properties for compensation.
“Each claimant has an attorney that liaises with the consultant, so there is no need for protest, more so, that the Federal Government has not taken possession of the properties nor commenced construction work on the access road.
“At the moment, nobody’s structure or property has been demolished.
“The Federal Government verification team has visited and submitted its report to Abuja, and the government will pay all compensation before work will commence on the access road”, he said.
Olawale assured that the government would complete construction work on the 17km access road before May 29, 2023.
