The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has set a deadline for October 2024 for the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) to complete the reconstruction of the collapsed New Artisan Bridge on the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway. This directive was announced in a statement by Mr. Uche Anichukwu, the Senior Special Assistant on External Relations to Governor Peter Mbah, and was made available to the press in Enugu on Monday.
During an inspection of key Federal Government projects in Enugu, which included a visit from Governor Peter Mbah, Umahi emphasized the urgency of the bridge’s completion. He remarked, “I have visited this site more than ten times since the collapse of the bridge. The work being done by CCECC has been commendable in terms of quality and speed. This is the pace that Governor Mbah desires, and he is very pleased with the progress.”
Umahi reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring that CCECC meets the October 2024 deadline. The Minister also mentioned that due to insufficient federal funds, the Enugu State Government will be permitted to complete the remaining 61 kilometers of the road starting from Naira Triangle under the federal government’s Highway Development Management Initiative. This initiative operates under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement designed to expedite road infrastructure projects.
In addition to the New Artisan Bridge project, Umahi affirmed his commitment to completing other critical infrastructure projects, including the remaining sections of the Enugu-Onitsha and Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressways, as well as the dualization of the Enugu-Abakaliki Road.
Governor Mbah has praised the federal government’s commitment to addressing road infrastructure challenges in the South-East, highlighting the importance of these projects for regional development.
The New Artisan Bridge, a key infrastructure component on the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway, collapsed on September 25, 2023. Initially, the Federal Government had announced that reconstruction work would commence on November 10, 2023. However, the start date was subsequently postponed to December 2023. During the rehabilitation effort, there were plans to partially reopen the bridge during the holiday season, but these plans were later abandoned due to concerns from experts about the potential risks of further collapse.
Minister Umahi has visited the site multiple times to reassure residents about the progress of the reconstruction. The contract for the bridge’s reconstruction has been awarded to CCECC, a Chinese company known for handling major road infrastructure projects, including those in Lagos.
