The Project Director, Julius Berger Nig. Ltd., Mr Frederick Weiser, on Tuesday said that the second Niger Bridge would be completed by Feb. 28, 2022.
Weiser said contract for the construction of the Bridge was awarded over the years but was abandoned due to poor funding and failure to mobilize the contractor to site.
The Julius Berger chief spoke when Gov. Willie Obiano of Anambra inspected ongoing work at the project site in Ogbaru near Onitsha.
According to him, the bridge which is 1.6 kilometres long with 3.3 kilometer adjoining route from Delta and another seven kilometer at the Anambra end, said the Federal Government had so far released about 15 per cent of the contract amount.
The project director was awarded at N206 billion.
Weiser explained that the firm was currently constructing beams and doing piling work on the bridge.
“The biggest challenge we had before now was the rising water level of River Niger which has now receded,” he told Obiano.
In his remarks, Gov. Obiano, who commended the Federal Government for releasing huge sums for the project, expressed optimism that the project would be completed as scheduled.
The governor described the bridge as “very important to the South East and the nation” and commended the contracting firm for its zeal to complete the job.
Earlier, Obiano paid similar visit to the completed Zik’s Mausoleum in Onitsha where he commended President Muhammadu Buhari’s commitment to the project.
The governor, who expressed satisfaction with the quality of work done, said the project was a plus to President Buhari’s administration.
“The project has been abandoned for the past 23 years, it is an important project to the people of the South East, Nigeria and the African Continent,’’ Obiano said.
The governor said he would intimate the President on his inspections and urge him to inaugurate the Mausoleum.
