Lagos shops for new concessionaires for planned fourth Mainland Bridge

Proposed 4th Mainland Bridge

LAGOS State Government may soon announce a new concessionaire for the planned 3.8-kilometer fourth Mainland Bridge that will link Olokanla Ajah, almost opposite Pan African University, in Eti-Osa East Local Council Development Area, with Ijede, on the outskirts of Ikorodu.

In the alternative, the government has mapped out a plan to solely finance the scheme, if suitable private sector partners could not be found.

Already, the search for the concessionaire has assumed a global dimension, after the Singaporean consortium, earlier slated for the project, was found to lack the capacity to execute it.

By the design of the bridge which will span Lagos Lagoon, an access road will be constructed off Lekki-Epe Expressway at Olokanla Ajah to the bridge head, while the waterfront communities of Baiyeku, Igbogbo will also be linked with Ijede, at Ikorodu end, with a network of roads, to connect the proposed facility.

The bridge, according to a top government official, was conceived as a strategic exit and inlet for the vast growing population in the Ajah-Lekki axis.

Specifically, it would be a utility infrastructure for the Free Trade Zone and the proposed airport, being planned by the state government in the area.

Sources could not put a timeline for the construction of the much-awaited bridge, but it was learnt that the state government was already working on a plan to construct the access roads to the two bridgeheads.

The administration, however, has the challenge of clearing the routes for the access roads, as a source at the state Ministry of Works and Infrastructure disclosed that the Ajah end of the bridge has been fully built-up.

“The state government would require up to N10 billion as compensation to house owners at Olokanla Ajah, whose properties are situated on the way to the bridge head. This is due to the fact that the identified suitable route has been fully built-up”, the source said.

It was also learnt that the Ijede, Ikorodu end too would take over N5 billion as compensation to property owners.

Even though, the road network would be more extensive at the Ijede, Ikorodu end, the property value were assessed to be much lower than at the Ajah axis .

The plan for the fourth Mainland Bridge started at the commencement of the current administration of Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola, to ease vehicular traffic on the existing three bridges.

Indeed, the governor and his officials specifically made some trips to Singapore, as that single city nation was adopted as model for a new Lagos megacity development project.

The project was however stalled, as the consortium that was initially recommended for the job could not mobilise enough resources for it.

Consequently, the search for a new concessionaire began, with the administration considering proposals from several consortia around the globe, including about three local outfits that were said to have enlisted interest in the project.

But sources at the Governor’s Office disclosed that the administration might solely execute the project, if the prospective private sector investors fail to meet the expectations of the state government.

“The state government will not mind to go it alone as the project has become a serious political issue, which may undermine the credibility of the state government, if the scheme fails to take-off during the tenure of the current administration.

“I can confirm to you that the state government, under its ‘plan B’ initiative, has started approaching offshore sources for funding, since the project itself has been found financially viable”, the source added.

The project, under its initial public-private partnership arrangement, was scripted to attract tolls for users of the bridge, to, at least, recover costs for its execution.

Curiously, top officials of the state administration declined to make committal statements on the project, even as they, on condition of anonymity, affirmed government’s plan to ensure take-off of the scheme, soonest.

The proposed bridge will complement the three existing bridges—Carter, Eko and Third Mainland.

The Carter Bridge, built in 1901, is the oldest of the three bridges, connecting Lagos to the mainland. The bridge starts from Iddo on the mainland and ends at the Idumota area of Lagos Island.

The British colonial government, prior to Nigerian independence in 1960, originally constructed the Carter Bridge. After independence, the bridge was dismantled, redesigned and rebuilt during the late 1970s. The Alaka-Ijora flyover, on the Iddo end of the span was completed in 1973.

The parking of vehicles on the bridge has resulted in both severe road congestion in addition to contributing to its rapid deterioration.

In 2003, the Nigerian Institute of Structural Engineers noted that the parking of vehicles along the span might result in collapse if left unaddressed. To address this issue, the Lagos State government instituted a N50,000 fine for persons parking their vehicles along the span.

Additionally, in April 2006, the Lagos State Transport Commissioner announced that all commercial vehicles would be banned from entering Lagos Island by way of the Carter Bridge to keep buses and other vehicles from parking on the bridge.

The Eko Bridge, built by Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, connects the mainland to Apongbon area of Lagos Island.

Source: Guardian