FEC okays N176.5b for additional work on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway

• Awards N18.874bn for renovation of 3rd Mainland

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved a contract for additional works on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.

The approval was part of the several given by the council at its weekly meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the presidential villa, Abuja on Wednesday.

Briefing State House correspondents after the meeting, Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, outlined other approvals for his ministry to include repair works on 3rd Mainland Bridge 177 piles worth about N18.874 billion and the rehabilitation of Illie bridge in Osun state at the cost of N2.564 billion.

The contract for the 3rd Mainland Bridge is awarded to Borini Prono, one of the contractors who initially built the bridge.

Fashola explained that the project is part of national bridge maintenance strategy being implemented by the Federal Government, although this particular one had been planned since 2011 but not budgetary allocation until 2017.

Similarly, he said FEC following a complaint from various state governments, has approved intervention on 44 oreads at the cost of N105 billion.

He also said that contract for the purchase of 50 circuit breakers for the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) was approved at the cost of N120 million.

Also approved was the 72 kilometre Orokam Expressway spanning Benue and Enugu state worth about N38.08 billion with the contract awarded to RCC Limited.

In his own remarks, Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi revealed that FEC had set up a committee made up of himself, Fashola; Minister of Information and his Niger Delta Affairs counterpart to visit the East-West road for Inspection with a view to completing the project.

He said FEC also approved contracts for the repairs of a narrow gauge railway line to increase the speed of trains just as it has approved the purchase of wagons and coaches worth N1.2 billion.

FEC also approved the sum of N18.874 billion for repair works at the 3rd Mainland Bridge in Lagos.

The contract was awarded to Borini Prono, an Italian construction firm, which constructed the bridge from the onset.

Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola told State House correspondents, shortly after the FEC meeting presided by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo that the renovation work was conceived in 2011 but was not captured in the budget.

He said the contract, which is expected to be completed within 27 months, has now been captured in the 2018 budget with a sub head of “Bridge renovation and repair contracts.”

Fashola said that the project will involve the replacement of 33 piles at the first phase with a total of 177piles to be strengthened in all.

He also said expansion joints linking the bridge together would be assessed with a view to replacing the obsolete ones.