Lifespan of Kano’s N5.9bn bridge is 100 years – Contractor

Since the collapse of a pedestrian bridge along Sheik Jafar road recently, there have been fears on bridges in the state including the N5.9 billion bridge which was jointly commissioned by the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari and former president Olusegun Obasanjo months ago.At the peak of the 2015 electioneering, the report of a crack on the […]

Since the collapse of a pedestrian bridge along Sheik Jafar road recently, there have been fears on bridges in the state including the N5.9 billion bridge which was jointly commissioned by the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari and former president Olusegun Obasanjo months ago.
At the peak of the 2015 electioneering, the report of a crack on the bridge constructed by the Federal Government near the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) cast doubts on durability of bridges in the state.
Though management faulted the report, the slip of a beam on the pedestrian bridge on Sheik’s Jafar road heightened the fears.
Our correspondent reports that all the bridges in the state were constructed between 2014 and this year.
The N5.9 billion bridge cuts across two areas covering 1,070 metres.
In interview, Tec’s boss said the bridge was constructed using the best building materials.
“The lifespan of the bridge is 100 years. It will outlive all of us because of the materials we used in the construction.
“What the bridge requires is only maintenance of the road and decoration but for the main structure, nothing is required,” he said.
While faulting the report that the bridge cannot accommodate long vehicles, the contractor said a vehicle carrying as much as 30 tons of goods can pass on it.
“They barred trailers from using the bridge because of the numerous curves on it, because long vehicles can’t manoeuvre or turn around the curves. But the bridge can accommodate 30 tons,” he assured.