The Minister of Works, Arc. Mike Onolememen, has said that the second bridge under construction over the River Benue, the Loko-Oweto Bridge project has no funding encumbrances and will be completed in 17 months, being November 2015, with the sum of N36.12 billion as sourced funds from the Subsidy Re-investment Funds (SURE-P).
Onolememen said this yesterday, while conducting the Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku and his Good Governance Team on an inspection tour of the project at Loko and Oweto towns in Nassarawa and Benue states respectively.
The Loko-Oweto Bridge when completed, the Minister added, will reduce the high traffic volume on the Lokoja – Okenne alignment and also reduce travel time between the northern and southern parts of the country.
He confirmed that work on the bridge had attained 60% completion and will boost economic activities in Benue State, the food basket of the Nation, its sister state Nassarawa and other surrounding states thereby improving the Gross Domestic Product of the nation.
The project, a dual carriage way with two number bridge designs of 1,835metre and 220metre long and a 550 metre long Approach Road from Loko and 3.09 Kilometre Approach Road from Oweto bridges was awarded to Messrs Reynolds Construction Company (RCC) Nigeria Limited on November 2, 2011 with a projected completion period of 48 months.
Information minister, Mr. Labaran Maku, in his remark, said with the progress of work on the Loko-Oweto Bridge, the present administration has demonstrated its commitment to providing adequate roads infrastructure to commuters as embedded in its Transformation Agenda Programme.
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