Work on the abandoned N2.97 billion Utor Bridge on the Asaba-Uromi road being constructed by the Federal Government is to resume, this year, Sen. Ifeanyi Okowa (PDP-Delta), has said.
He said that the planned
resumption of work on the bridge, followed the budgetary allocation for the resumption of work on the facility made by the Federal Government in this year’s budget.
Okowa, representing Delta North Senatorial District, said in an interview in Asaba on Sunday that he and other lawmakers in the Senate had worked hard toward ensuring that the bridge was included in the 2012 budget.
It will be recalled that contract for the construction of the bridge was awarded in November, 2006, to Inter Bau Construction Company and the project was slated for completion in July, 2008.
Work was, however, abandoned in 2009 when the Federal Government, through a letter by then Minister of Works, Dr Hassan Lawan, transferred the construction of the bridge to the Delta Government.
The State Government rejected the “responsibility” on grounds that there was an existing policy forbidding State Governments from taking over federal projects in their domains.
Besides, the State Government argued that it had enough developmental issues to spend its resources on.
Although he did not disclose the new cost of the project, Okowa said that he would ensure that the budgetary allocation to the project this year, was not slashed during debate on the appropriation bill.
“I will confidently and categorically disclose the new value of the job only after the appropriation bill has been passed by the National Assembly,” he said.
The Senator also announced that the Ogwashi-Uku Dam project, another Federal Government job abandoned in the state, had been included in the 2012 budget and that the project would be re-started.
He advised that the contractors for the Utor Bridge and Ogwashi-Uku Dam should hurriedly source funds and return to site.
He also urged the contractors to ensure that necessary documentation for the new phase of the projects was done to ease processes of payment and monitoring of the jobs.