The Lagos State Government has scheduled the completion of the Fourth Mainland Bridge (4MB) project for 2027, which will be launched in the first quarter of 2023 by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
The proposed $2.5 billion project will be the fourth of such bridges in Nigeria’s economic capital and will complement the existing Eko, Carter and Third Mainland Bridges upon completion.
The state government, through the Office of Public-Private Partnerships (PPP), had, in the last week of December 2022, declared Messrs. CCECC-CRCCIG Consortium as the preferred bidder for the construction of the bridge.
The Fourth Mainland Bridge, which would link Lagos/Ibadan Expressway, Lagos/Abuja highway, Benin/Sagamu, and Igbogbo/Lagos, would be constructed through a PPP arrangement and tolled for 24 months.
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Plans for the Fourth Mainland Bridge
Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, Special Adviser to the Governor on Public Private Partnerships (PPP), Mr Ope George, and his colleague in the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure, Engineer, Aramide Adeyoye, made the announcement at a press briefing in Alausa, Ikeja, the state capital.
George stated that the Fourth Mainland Bridge Project, which is a proposed Public Private Partnership PPP transport infrastructure development, will include the construction and operation of a greenfield tolled road and bridge with a design speed of 120 kilometre per hour, along with the development of adjacent real estates.
He further stated that once completed, the bridge would become the second longest in Africa with three toll plazas, nine interchanges, a 4.5 kilometre Lagoon Bridge and an eco-friendly environment.
It is also scheduled to extend to approximately 37 kilometres, starting from Abraham Adesanya in Ajah, on the Eti-Osa-Lekki-Epe corridor and to stretch to the North West towards the Lagoon shoreline of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway via Owutu/Isawo in Ikorodu.
George said: “You will recall that the Lagos State government commenced a competitive bidding process for the selection of a concessionaire by the issuance of the Request for Expressions of Interest (REOI) on November 27, 2019. A total of 52 responses were received, with 32 being responsive.
“Subsequently, a Request for Quotation (RFQ) was issued on February 10, 2020, to the 32 eligible applicants and responses were received on April 15, 2020, with a total of 15 responses. Upon evaluation, six bidders met the criteria to progress to the Request for Proposal (RfP) stage.”
According to the SA, after evaluation, the Messrs. CCECC-CRCCIG Consortium emerged as the preferred bidder, while the Messrs. MOTA-ENGIL (Nigeria, Africa CCCC, and BC Consortium were selected as the reserved bidder for the Fourth Mainland Bridge project.
In her address, Adeyoye explained that the bridge would minimize congestion on the Carter, Eko, and Third Mainland Bridges while simultaneously exposing new areas of the city to future developmental opportunities.
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Impact of Fourth Mainland Bridge On Communities
Adeoye said that the state government had intimated the over 48 estates, traditional rulers, and others that would be affected by the bridge.
The Special Adviser pointed out that the negative effects of the bridge were small compared to the many long-term benefits. He asked those who were worried about the start of the project to be patient and work with the contractor while the project was being built.
While speaking, Omotoso emphasized that the no fewer than 800 identified victims, whose properties would experience damage due to the project, would be duly compensated.
Recall that in November 2020, officials of the Lagos State Government called for the full support of residents of boundary communities in Ogun State, who the construction of the proposed Fourth Mainland Bridge might impact. The affected communities listed include Arepo, OPIC, Mawere, Isheri, and Sparklight Estate. The state government had explained then that the bridge could extend to around the Sparklight Estate near Arepo after stretching through several corridors.