The contract for a major bridge project for Nigeria has been awarded to a construction consortium. The Chinese contractors China Civil Engineering Construction (CCEC) and China Railway Construction will build the bridge, with the deal worth US$2.5 billion.
Once complete, the Fourth Mainland Bridge will measure 4.5km in length, making it the third longest in Africa. The bridge will feature four lanes in either direction and will have a speed limit of 120km/h. It will have three tolling areas and nine intersections.
The deal will be handled under the PPP model and includes a 40-year concession package and was awarded by the authorities in Lagos State.
When it opens, the new link will go some way to reduce the notorious ‘go slow’ traffic problems that blight Lagos. The Fourth Mainland Bridge will connect Lagos Island via the towns of Lekki, Langbasa and Baiyeku and across Lagos Lagoon to Itamaga in Ikorodu.
The 12km Third Mainland Bridge, opened in 1990, is the longest of three bridges connecting Lagos Island to the mainland. The others are the Eko and Carter bridges.
The Eko Bridge, opened in 1975, starts from Ijora on the mainland and ends at the Apongbon area of Lagos Island. The lagoon section of the bridge spans 430m.
The Carter Bridge, opened in 1901, was, at the time of its construction, the only bridge between the mainland and Lagos Island. The bridge starts from Iddo on the mainland and ends at Idumota area of Lagos Island. It was named after Sir Gilbert Thomas Carter, a former British governor of the colony of Lagos.
