River Niger Bridge or Onitsha Bridge is a bridge connecting the southeastern and western regions of Nigeria across the Niger River. Completed in 1965, the bridge is located in Onitsha, Anambra State, and links to Asaba in Delta State. It has two lanes and a pedestrian walkway and is often congested with traffic and informal traders.
A second bridge, known as the Second Niger Bridge or Second Onitsha Bridge, was inaugurated in 2023 to ease pressure on the existing bridge and provide a more modern, durable structure.
History
Feasibility studies and design considerations for a bridge across the River Niger from Asaba to Onitsha were carried out in the 1950s by the Netherlands Engineering Consultants of The Hague, Holland (NEDECO). Between 1964 and 1965, the French construction company Dumez built the Niger Bridge at an estimated cost of £6.75 million. Construction was completed in December 1965.
The completed bridge measured 8 by 420 feet with a 36-foot carriageway supported by a centre truss and pedestrian walkways on both sides. It was commissioned by then Prime Minister Alhaji Tafawa Balewa and opened to traffic in December 1965. This event was the last public function of the Prime Minister before his assassination on January 15, 1966.
During the Nigerian Civil War (1967–1970), retreating Biafran soldiers destroyed the River Niger Bridge at Onitsha to stop the Nigerian military advance, effectively trapping Nigerian forces on the other side of the river.
Under President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan’s administration, the bridge was rehabilitated by replacing two damaged spans on the Onitsha end with a fourteen-foot wide bailey bridge, at an estimated cost of £1.5 million.