The Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday approved N6.28bn for surface maintenance of the Third Mainland Bridge, Lagos State.

The FEC meeting which was presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa said the 24-month repair will cover 11 kilometers including interchanges, ramps, and critical links.

The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, who briefed State House correspondents after the meeting said the move aligns with Executive Order 11 signed by President Muhammadu Buhari in April 2022, which gave legal backing to the country’s national maintenance policy.

New Telegraph reports that the announcement comes barely two weeks after the Lagos State Government said it would undertake rehabilitation works on the 32-year-old Bridge to repair failed and peeled asphaltic sections and substructure.

However, Fashola argued that there will be no duplication of efforts.

The former Lagos State governor said the State’s Public Works Corporation will focus on the functional structure of the bridge such as the underwater piles, while the FG will undertake surface maintenance to treat potholes and restore missing guard rails.

He further explains that “Council approved a fresh contract for the maintenance of the pavement of the third mainland bridge and this was approved in the sum of N6.28bn for a period of 24 months.

“I have been asked about the works that have been done on the bridge before. The works are concentrating largely on the substructure of the bridge; the underwater piles, the pile caps, and also the replacement of the expansion joints and the bearings. he added.