Nigeria’s Federal Executive Council has approved the demolition and reconstruction of the ageing Carter Bridge in Lagos. This is part of broader efforts to modernise critical transport infrastructure across the country.
The development was disclosed by the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, while briefing State House correspondents after the council meeting. The meeting was presided over by President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Umahi said the council approved N5.6 billion for advanced engineering consultants to carry out the detailed design and cost evaluation for the Carter Bridge project. This step is ahead of the procurement stage for construction. According to him, technical assessments carried out on the structure concluded that rehabilitation was no longer viable. Therefore, full demolition and reconstruction is considered the most practical solution.
“Recall that we have been to FEC and got approval after going through stakeholders’ engagements. The total recommendation was that Carter Bridge can no longer be rehabilitated; it should be demolished and then a new bridge constructed,” Umahi said.
He added that Advanced Engineering Consultants has been engaged to conduct the comprehensive design and cost analysis for the project.
The minister explained that rebuilding the bridge forms part of the federal government’s broader push to strengthen Nigeria’s transport infrastructure. This is meant to ensure long-term durability of critical assets.
Earlier in July 2025, the minister had disclosed that the government was reviewing a proposal to replace Carter Bridge with a N320 billion cable-stayed structure. It is considered more durable than the N380 billion estimated cost of full rehabilitation.
Other Major Infrastructural Approval
The council also approved several other major road construction and reconstruction projects aimed at improving connectivity. These projects also target completing previously stalled infrastructure across the country.
Among them is the completion of the Suleja–Minna Road project after the earlier contract awarded to Salini Construction Company was terminated due to poor performance. Only about 10 kilometres of the road had been completed before the contract was cancelled.
The government has now awarded one carriageway of the remaining 71 kilometres to China Geo-Engineering Corporation at a cost of N91 billion. Meanwhile, the second carriageway has received clearance from the Bureau of Public Procurement.
FEC also approved the review and rescoping of the 132-kilometre Kano–Kongolam Road, a tax credit project linking Kano State, Jigawa State and Katsina State. Originally designed as an asphalt road, the project has now been redesigned as a three-lane concrete carriageway equipped with solar-powered streetlights and closed-circuit television (CCTV) systems to enhance security. The revised project cost is estimated at N334 billion.
Another major approval was the reconstruction of the Abuja–Lokoja Road following the termination of contracts previously awarded to two underperforming contractors. The affected 86-kilometre section will now be reconstructed using reinforced concrete and executed by five contractors. These include Julius Berger, with the project estimated to cost N146 billion.
Additional projects approved include the reconstruction of the 103-kilometre Ibadan–Ife–Ilesa Road, valued at N427 billion, and the second phase of the Keffi–Nasarawa–Abaji Road rehabilitation, covering 129.3 kilometres at a cost of N203 billion.
