Lagos State has shortlisted three bidders for the monumental $2.5 billion Fourth Mainland Bridge project.
This ambitious endeavor, commissioned by the Lagos State Government, aims to span 38 kilometers, connecting Lagos Island via Langbasa (Lekki) and Baiyeku (Ikorodu) over the Lagos Lagoon to Itamaga in Ikorodu.
Once completed, it is set to become Africa’s second-longest bridge, featuring three toll plazas, nine interchanges, a 4.5-kilometer Lagoon Bridge, and an environmentally friendly setting.
Here are six key points to understand about the Fourth Mainland Bridge:
1. Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Project:
The Fourth Mainland Bridge is a collaborative project between the Lagos State Government and a consortium of private investors led by the Chinese construction company CCECC-CRCCIG Consortium.
This partnership encompasses the construction and operation of a 37-kilometer tolled road and bridge with a design speed of 120 km/h, coupled with the development of adjacent real estate.
2. Preferred Bidder Selection:
On December 29, 2022, the Lagos State Government announced that the CCECC-CRCCIG Consortium had been chosen as the preferred bidder to undertake this significant project.
3. Project Cost:
The estimated cost of the Fourth Mainland Bridge is $2.5 billion, originally proposed in 2006 and subsequently earmarked with a budget allocation of $2.2 billion in the 2017 Lagos State budget.
4. Investment Partnership:
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, secured a substantial investment partnership of $1.352 billion with the African Export-Import Bank and Access Bank during the second Africaribbean Trade and Investment Forum 2023 in Georgetown, Guyana. This funding will support the project’s realization.
5. Project Completion Date:
The Lagos State Government has set the target of delivering the Fourth Mainland Bridge by 2027, following the selection of CCECC-CRCCIG Consortium as the preferred bidder.
6. Bridge Details:
The Fourth Mainland Bridge is designed as a 2 x 4 lane carriageway cross-sectional road, with provisions for a BRT Lane and future road expansion.
This bridge is poised to bridge the gap between the mainland and island segments of Nigeria’s former capital city and economic center, complementing the existing Eko, Carter, and Third Mainland Bridges.
The project is expected to extend over approximately 37 kilometers, commencing from Abraham Adesanya in Ajah, along the Eti-Osa-Lekki-Epe corridor, and extending northwest to the Lagoon shoreline of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway via Owutu/Isawo in Ikorodu.
