The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has set October 2024 deadline for the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) to complete the collapsed New Artisan Bridge on the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway.
This directive was announced in a statement by Mr. Uche Anichukwu, Senior Special Assistant on External Relations to Governor Peter Mbah, and was made available to the press in Enugu on Monday. According to Anichukwu, the minister issued this directive during an inspection of key Federal Government projects in the state, accompanied by the governor.
“I have been here more than 10 times since the collapse of the bridge. This work is being done by CCECC. I must commend them very highly for the quality of work and speed. This is the speed that Enugu governor desires, and he is also very happy with this. I am giving them October 2024 to deliver this project,” the statement quoted Umahi.
Additionally, the minister noted that due to a lack of funds, the federal government would permit the Enugu State Government to complete the remaining part of the 61 kilometers of road, starting from Naira Triangle, under the federal government’s Highway Development Management Initiative. This initiative operates under a Public Private Partnership arrangement.
Umahi reaffirmed his commitment to completing the remaining sections of the Enugu-Onitsha and Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressways, as well as the dualization of the Enugu-Abakaliki Road. He also quoted Governor Mbah, who commended the federal government’s dedication to addressing the road infrastructure challenges in the South-East.
On September 25, 2023, a federal government bridge along the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway was reported to have collapsed. Governor Peter Mbah had initially announced that the Federal Government would commence reconstruction work on November 10, 2023. However, the reconstruction was later postponed to December 2023.
During the rehabilitation effort, the state government announced plans to reopen a portion of the bridge for travelers during the yuletide period. However, this plan was withdrawn following expert advice that it could lead to further disasters and infrastructure collapse.
Throughout these events, Minister Dave Umahi visited the location multiple times, assuring residents that the bridge would be completed as soon as possible. The contract for reconstruction was awarded to the Chinese company CCECC, which also manages most of the road infrastructure in Lagos.
