Dave Umahi, the minister of works, has said that the Federal Government will not allow the use of asphalt in the renovation of the Third Mainland Bridge.
Umahi disclosed this while speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Monday.
According to Umahi, continuous pilling of asphalt on the bridge could cause vehicles to overturn
Umahi also said that the government has shifted the delivery of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway to November.
He attributed the delay to funding challenges but promised that the ministry would soon approach President Bola Tinubu for intervention
He noted that the funding will come from the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF) programme.
“Right now, we have a balance of N18 billion on that axis to pay. The stringent condition is that you cannot take funds that are meant for one project to do the other one,” he said.
Read also:Work stalls on Third Mainland Bridge over heavy rainfall
The minister also stressed the importance of concrete roads, saying that the federal government is considering using concrete for the construction of major roads across the country.
He explained that concrete roads are more durable than asphalt roads, especially in areas with high rainfall.
In addition, Umahi noted that Tinubu, who served as Lagos governor between 1999 to 2007, was one of the pioneers of concrete roads in the country.
He said that Tinubu did quite a number of concrete roads during his tenure and that he is familiar with the benefits of concrete roads.
He said, “The president is not new to concrete roads. While he was governor, he could be said to be one of the foundational sponsors of concrete roads.”
Read also: FERMA begins asphalt-laying on Third Mainland Bridge
Umahi added, “But over the years, in the course of maintenance, when a portion of it is scratched, what will happen is that they will come and clean it up and put another asphalt on it.
“So, we have an asphalt thickness of between four and 12 inches. So, if you are riding on that Third Mainland Bridge, you will see that you are on a super-elevation and that is dangerous. It can cause overturning. And again, it is not designed to carry that dead load,” he added.
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