ONITSHA — The planned reopening of the First Niger Bridge—originally scheduled for Monday, September 21, 2026—has been officially delayed after persistent torrential rainfall disrupted asphalt laying and structural rehabilitation works on the Onitsha-Asaba corridor.
The Federal Ministry of Works had instituted a complete two-week traffic shutdown of the iconic bridge starting Monday, September 7, 2026, to allow emergency interventions by contractor SKECC. The rehabilitation includes milling deteriorated road surfaces, laying 40mm asphalt wearing courses, replacing vandalized expansion-joint steelwork, nuts, and bolts, and installing solar streetlights and CCTV cameras.
However, engineers and site supervisors confirmed that heavy downpours over the weekend slowed bituminization and critical joint welding, forcing authorities to extend the maintenance window to guarantee structural integrity.
