JUST IN: Second Niger Bridge will be tolled, says Fashola

The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, Wednesday said that the newly built Second Niger Bridge would be tolled.

The former Lagos state governor made this known when he appeared as a guest on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.

According to him: “Inevitably, the bridge will be tolled but that is the job of the NSIA because we must make sure the bridge is properly maintained. So, this is where…private sector capacity becomes useful. They may not be (able to) build capital to buy the asset but can mobilise the expertise and efficiency to operate it, of course not without due diligence being done. That is the same model on the Lekki toll gate.

“Truth be told, the target is April or May (2023) but the date keeps shifting because of sit-at-home directives.

“The current opening for motorists is for those going to the East and will last till the 1st of January. It is currently a one-way crossing. So, on the 2nd of January, we would reverse what we have done and allow people to use it from the 3rd for the East to West crossing and on the 15th we would shut it down so that we can finish the four kilometre access road we are trying to build, and the interchange.

“We are building in mash land so we have to dredge, accumulate sand, fill or reclaim land. You have to wait for it to settle and can’t start building the following day. We are using a technology called pre-fabricated vertical drills to accelerate.”