When the Third Mainland Bridge got its ₦21 billion facelift last year, Lagos drivers thought the worst was over.
But new underwater surveys tell a grimmer story — its foundations are under attack from erosion, corrosion, and illegal sand mining.
The ₦21 billion emergency repairs, carried out by the federal government in partnership with Lagos State, bought the city’s busiest link some time.
However, beneath the asphalt, trouble was already brewing.
Damage Runs Deep
On Thursday in Abuja, Works Minister Dave Umahi laid out the grim reality.
After attending a Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, he told reporters that illegal sand miners have chewed away at the bridge’s foundations.
Erosion has washed off parts of its base, and corrosion has eaten into its steel.
Underwater inspections and structural tests confirmed severe damage to the piles and piers that keep the 13-kilometre structure upright.
Costly Rescue Plan
To confront the threat, the federal government has allocated a staggering ₦3.8 trillion.
“Rehabilitation will cost ₦3.8 trillion, while a complete rebuild will take about ₦3.6 trillion,” Umahi said.
He explained that the ministry has already cleared seven specialist contractors to begin detailed investigations and prepare bids for both repair and replacement under an EPC+F arrangement—Engineering, Procurement, Construction, and Financing.
Funding The Future
The minister noted that earlier studies on the Carter Bridge uncovered similar findings.
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Contractor Julius Berger concluded that repairs could not save the bridge and recommended a full replacement at an estimated cost of ₦359 billion.
With the FEC’s approval, the government will now invite public-private partnership bids for both bridges.
At the same time, officials will negotiate with international lenders, including Deutsche Bank, to secure funding for the massive works.
In November 2023, the emergency repair programme on the Third Mainland Bridge addressed critical surface issues.
Crews resurfaced worn sections, replaced damaged guardrails, applied new asphalt, and restored lighting.
Umahi emphasised that the intervention was vital because years of layering fresh asphalt had added excessive dead weight, further stressing the structure.
Opened in 1990, the Third Mainland Bridge remains Nigeria’s longest bridge and a lifeline for more than 20 million Lagos residents.
It channels the daily flow of commuters, traders, and students between Lagos Island and the mainland.
Without it, the city’s already congested roads would grind to a halt.
Now, as the government moves from patchwork repairs to full-scale restoration, the bridge’s fate hangs on both engineering precision and financial muscle.
The planned overhaul, one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects in Nigeria’s history, aims not just to keep the bridge standing, but to secure it for decades to come.
