On Wednesday, May 3, 2023, President-elect Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as Special Guest of Honour of the Rivers State Governor, commissioned the Rumuokwuta/Rumuola Flyover Bridge in Port Harcourt City the Rivers State Capital.
Speaking at the ceremony in Port Harcourt, Governor Ezenwo Nyesom Wike said the Rumuokwuta/Rumuola flyover bridge was a promise he made to the Rivers people, and a promise to which he faithfully committed his administration and diligently kept. Wike said his administration has no incident of abandoned project in Rivers State.
He attributed the uncommon feat to the fact that his administration in active cooperation with the State’s legislative arm of government, amended the Procurement law of Rivers State to enable the government to reasonably fund government projects in order to avoid any incidence of project delays, inflationary cost overruns and request for project cost variations by contractors.
That strategy, Governor Wike said, has positively resulted into serial project success and delivery by his administration.
Wike specifically commended and thanked the contractor, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc for its outstanding dedication to contract and project success and for the company’s Alpha grade engineering quality that has continued to define premium engineering construction standards in Nigeria. Governor Wike thanked Julius Berger for working very hard and consistently to always beat every project’s schedules and delivering every of its contracted projects before due date. “We awarded the 11th and 12th flyovers in July 2022. I am happy to say that the two bridges were completed within eight months instead of the projected ten months. That is why we gave the contracts to a company we know have the capacity to deliver. That is why we gave it to Julius Berger including other ongoing projects like the one at Omoku and some other road dualisation projects.”
On his part the Managing Director of Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, Engr. Dr. Lars Richter, who also celebrated the successful completion of the 12th Flyover in Port Harcourt, said, “…today we are not only commissioning the 12th flyover bridge in Port Harcourt, but we are also celebrating the legacy of Mr. Project (Governor Wike)” The Julius Berger boss said “…it all began with the Operation Zero Potholes in PHC initiated by Governor Wike in 2015…which resulted in Julius Berger successfully delivering and handing over more than 80 roads to the Rivers State Government.”
Engr. Dr. Lars Richter listed other earlier projects successfully accomplished by Julius Berger for the Rivers State government to include the beautiful and very functional Pleasure Park including its Fast Food Restaurant and the Cinema which provides recreation facilities to the citizen and residents of Rivers State; Government House Phases 3 and 4; the state-of-the-art Dr. Peter Odili Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease Diagnostic and Treatment Centre which was delivered in record 14 months and is now offering high level diagnosis and treatment for chronic disease in Nigeria. Amongst others.
On the construction of the 12 flyovers in Rivers State, Dr. Richter said the developments began in October 2019. He said that, while Julius Berger Nigeria Plc signed the contract for the construction of the first flyover to be delivered in 16 months, the company worked and delivered the first flyover, the Rebesi flyover, for commissioning in 12 months.
At the time of the event in Port Harcourt, Dr. Richter said that “…the company has completed 12 flyovers within the past 4 years ...meaning that on the average, Julius Berger has delivered one flyover bridge for every four months of the past 4 years to the good people of Rivers State.”
Dr. Richter attributed the good success recorded in Julius Berger’s project delivery records in Rivers State to “…the good relations and strong partnerships between Julius Berger and the client, and without doubt, the support of the executive Governor of Rivers State, His Excellency Chief Barrister Nyesom Ezenwo Wike.” In the appreciative words of Engr. Dr. Lars Richter to Governor Nyesom Wike: “Your Excellency ... you have bridged Rivers”
The Julius Berger Managing Director ended his remarks by offering the warm felicitations and gratitude of the company’s Board of Directors and Executive Management to the Rivers State government under Governor Wike. He particularly thanked the Governor for the trust he reposed in the company’s engineering and project management competence and reliability since he became Governor of Rivers State from 2015.
A major infrastructure project that is conceptualised and designed to transform the Port Harcourt city landscape, the scope and features of the 12th flyover bridge located at the Ikwerre, Rumuokwuta Choba and Rumuola road junction include the following: 21 spans with 22.5m intervals and two ramps with an approximate total length of 210m of dual carriageways of 7.3m width on each road, as well as with ground service lanes. The bridge is constructed on 800 diameter 272 numbers Continuous Flight Auger (CFA) piles, with a length of 21.5m. With a total of quantity of 168 numbers precast beams, its approach way ramps consists of a maximum flight of 4%.
The project spans a total construction length of around 1,005.1m at longitudinal direction of the flyover. There is good provision of drainages and culverts at the new service lane. There are roundabouts, service lanes and traffic islands. There are also streetlights on the flyover and other under bridge illuminations at the roundabouts and U-Turns. The new road pavement has a 200mm thick cement-sand subbase with 4% average cement content by weight, 200mm granular stone base and 100mm thick total asphalt concrete surface. On top of the superstructure, the asphalt is a 60 mm thick binder course and 40mm wearing course. There are also beautiful and safety-oriented road markings and traffic signs installed on the flyover bridge and service lanes where necessary.
Beautification under the bridge also include one meter high filling with chippings in the closed islands, concrete parapet wall and one meter high mesh wire fencing. There is also an implementation of four pedestrian crossings with Traffic Lights under the flyover for pedestrians.
The Rumuokwuta/Rumuola flyover, amongst other major infrastructural projects successfully constructed by Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, is Governor Nyesom Wike’s administration’s 12th flyover project, which he started, completed, and commissioned in just four years of his second term as the Governor of Rivers State. The flyover bridge is functionally aimed at improved traffic flow and enhanced economic activities for the benefit of citizens, residents and motorists in Rivers State.
The event was attended by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila and Governors Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa), David Umahi (Ebonyi), Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq (Kwara), Seyi Makinde (Oyo) and Hope Uzodinma (Imo). Others were former governors Dr Peter Odili (Rivers), Chief Bisi Akande (Osun), Chief James Ibori (Delta), Dr Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Chief Timipre Sylva (Bayelsa) and Chief Ayo Fayose (Ekiti) as well as governor-elect of Rivers State, Mr Sim Fubara, Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr Sunday Dare, Mr Dele Alake and Alhaji Kashim Ibrahim Imam, among others
On the Julius Berger’s Managing Director’s team to the event were the Special Project Manager, Engr. Rimon Marisho, the Project Manager, Oezerkan Taner, Project Coordinator, South-south/South east, Chief Sam Ngbor, Special Assistant to the Managing Director, Xenia Gette; and Head of Media Relations Office, Prince Moses Duku, amongst others.
