The new Second Niger Bridge, according to Mr. Jimoh Olawale, Federal Controller of Works in Delta, will open to traffic on December 15.
However, Olawale stated that the bridge would only be available for 30 days in an interview with Newsmen on Wednesday in Asaba.
He stated that Babatunde Fashola, the Minister of Works, ordered the bridge’s inauguration at a 95 per completion level to reduce traffic during the holiday season.
“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 would divert through the access road near the old Niger Bridge to the new bridge,” the controller added.
Olawale refuted charges made by a group that the Federal Government had stopped compensating landowners along the access road to the second Niger Bridge.
He clarified that the government had only given notice to the owners of the structures that were located within the government right of way along the 17-kilometre Okpanam-Ibusa-Asaba-Oko bypass leading to the new bridge.
The controller gave the assurance that the terms for compensatory payment were being developed.
“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 totally 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.
“As at 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 promised that the government will finish building the 17-kilometre access road by May 29, 2023.
The controller announced that the 110.63-kilometre contract for the dualisation of the Sapele-Eku-Agbor route would be evaluated in light of the times.
The N64 billion project, which started in November 2017, is currently 12 per cent complete, according to Olawale.
He further stated that a ring road project connecting settlements in the Isoko region of the state had just been finished and launched by the federal government.
The traffic controller asked drivers to adhere to the 100 km/h speed restriction throughout the Yuletide to ensure their safety.
