Umahi made the disclosure while giving details of the project, explaining that the contract sum covered extensive repair works carried out on the bridge.
According to him, the rehabilitation spanned 14 kilometres by 14 metres across both carriageways and included concrete reconstruction, repainting, replacement of expansion joints and the installation of solar lighting.
The minister also clarified the cost of the newly inaugurated closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance centre located on the bridge, describing it as Nigeria’s first of its kind.
He said the surveillance facility, which is powered by 240 solar panels, cost no more than ₦2.5 billion.
Umahi explained that the centre is equipped with air-conditioning systems, inverters, a 300KVA transformer, a standby generator, monitoring screens, a surveillance boat and two Hilux vans to enhance security monitoring on the bridge.
The minister said the rehabilitation became necessary after the current administration assumed office in 2023 and discovered that the bridge was in a poor state.
He noted that the pavement surface, as well as infrastructure above and below the water, had deteriorated, prompting President Bola Tinubu to order a comprehensive re-evaluation and rehabilitation of the bridge, including the replacement of its expansion joints.
