2nd Niger Bridge, Onitsha
By Jon Egie
President Muhammadu Buhari will commission the Second Niger Bridge tomorrow, Tuesday, May 23.
But he will not be physically present at the scene of commissioning, rather, he will perform his role via zoom.
The project valued at N 336 billion is regarded as a legacy project and will be commissioned along with six other projects by the president online.
A source of the Ministry of Works said staff of the ministry were already in Asaba making preparations for the commissioning ceremony tomorrow.
The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, announced the completion of the bridge at a briefing in October 2022 after almost five decades of failed promises by successive administrations.
On December 15, 2022, the Federal Government also opened the Second Niger Bridge for use to ease traffic in the South-East during the festive season.
The Second Niger Bridge was first proposed during the 1978/79 political campaign by then-candidate Shehu Shagari of the National Party of Nigeria.
Patterned after the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos, the Second Niger Bridge, no doubt, has all the paraphernalia of a modern bridge with its smooth surface and spacious terrain to allow for a pleasurable ride.
Among the differences between the old and new bridges is that the new bridge is more extensive and can accommodate more than six vehicles on its lanes; it also has a demarcation that separates inward and outward-bound cars, which the old bridge does not have because it has become too narrow to accommodate the increasing influx of vehicles.
The 1.6 kilometres long bridge links Anambra and Delta states.
Credit: PUNCH
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