Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has announced that the long-awaited building of the Fourth Mainland Bridge will begin in the first quarter of 2024.
Sanwo-Olu stated this at the Lagos West Senatorial District Town Hall Meeting, which took place at the Balmoral Convention Centre, Sheraton, Ikeja.
The Governor emphasized a phased construction approach and pledged that renters and landlords affected by building demolitions during the process would get reasonable compensation.
Here are thirteen things you should know about the Fourth Mainland Bridge.
1. Once completed, the bridge will be the second longest in Africa, featuring three toll plazas, nine interchanges, a 4.5-kilometer Lagoon Bridge, and an eco-friendly atmosphere. The project will also create the longest bridge connecting Lagos Island to the mainland.
2. The Lagos State Government is building a 38-kilometer-long bridge that will connect Lagos Island via Langbasa and Baiyeku in Ikorodu across the Lagos Lagoon to Itamaga in Ikorodu.
3. The bridge was originally planned to be built in 2017 and completed in 2019, with a budget of around N844 billion. However, the project did not begin on the scheduled date.
4. The bridge is a 2 x 4 lane highway with provision for BRT lane and future road contraction.
5. The bridge concept was developed by the government of former Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
6. In December 2022, Lagos State’s Office of Public Private Partnership named CCECC-CRCCIG CONSORTIUM as the chosen bidder for the projected 4th Mainland Bridge project. The preferred bidder will carry out the project according to the plans given by the state government.
7. The bridge’s construction will take place 57 years after the state was established on May 27, 1967, and 34 years after the Third Mainland Bridge was completed in 1990.
8. The bridge was supposed to be finished by 2019, but that never happened. Governor Sanwo-Olu has promised that work will commence by the end of the first quarter 2024.
9. In 2021, the project was anticipated to cost over $2.5 billion and would be executed through a public-private partnership initiative over two years.
10. In 2022, the Fourth Mainland Bridge was expected to be finished by 2027.
11. Eight roads, including the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and Igbogbo-Lagos, would connect with the Fourth Mainland Bridge.
12. The bridge will complement the Eko, Carter, and Third Mainland Bridges and minimize traffic.
The project is projected to cover 37 kilometers, starting from Abraham Adesanya in Ajah on the Eti-Osa-Lekki-Epe route and heading northwest to the Lagoon shoreline of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway via Owutu/Isawo in Ikorodu.