Lagos projects 4th Mainland Bridge to gulp $2.2bn

The Lagos State government is projecting $2.2 billion to build the much talked about 37.4 kilometres 4th Mainland Bridge.

About 800 houses may have to give way for the construction against the 4,000 earlier marked for demolition in the previous design before it was realigned.

The alignment starts at the Abraham Adesanya Roundabout and would connect the existing Lekki-Epe Expressway.

The bridge is proposed to have 2 x 4 lane carriageway cross-sectional road with allowance for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lane. If its design is anything to go by, the bridge would be the longest in Africa, second to the 6th October Bridge in Cairo, Egypt.

Lagos State governor, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, stated this on Tuesday at the first stakeholders meeting on Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) for the bridge held at Adeyemi Bero Hall, Ikeja.

Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by Obafemi Hamzat, his deputy said the event was significant in the state’s joint effort to change the narrative of the socio-economic development of the state through the provision of critical infrastructure for sustainable prosperity.

He said the government decided to upgrade the project and develop a method to deliver “this strategic piece of highway infrastructure and have since left no one in doubt about our commitment to ensure that this project becomes a reality.”

According to Sanwo-Olu, the history of the 4th Mainland Bridge project goes back almost 15 years when it was first raised due to the ever-decreasing efficiency of the existing 3rd Mainland Bridge in addressing the transportation needs of a growing population.

He noted that engagement and consultation on environmental and social impact assessment is a precursor to the third step which will involve issuing a “Request for Proposal” (RfP), to the six Consortia who will be required to present their respective financial proposals and methodologies for carrying out the project. It will be concluded with the selection of the “Preferred Bidder” and “2 Reserved Bidders”.

He urged stakeholders to use the meeting to consult amongst themselves on the steps to take in order to remove all the bottlenecks that may impede the delivery of 4th Mainland Bridge.

He said all the components of Lagos mobility, must be considered, including road planning, public transport integration and urban freight.