4th Mainland Bridge: 2,200 houses to be saved from demolition

The new alignment for the proposed fourth Mainland Bridge will save 2,200 houses that were to be demolished in the old design.

Ganiyu Johnson, Lagos State commissioner for works and infrastructure, said on Monday that the old alignment for the long proposed bridge was to claim over 3,000 houses, which would mean huge economic losses to the state. With the new design, only about 800 houses will now be affected.

Governor Akinwunmi Ambode said last week that the state government would,

before May 29, this year, sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with private investors who had shown strong interest in building the bridge on Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) arrangement.

Johnson at a ministerial briefing to mark the first anniversary of the Ambode-led administration, in Ikeja, Monday, gave further details about the bridge, which, if actualised, will drastically reduce traffic volume on the three existing bridges linking the Lagos Island and the Mainland. These are Eko, Cater and Third Mainland bridges.

“The proposed bridge will traverse from Ajah to North West direction towards the lagoon shoreline to Lagos-Ibadan Expressway via Ikorodu. The approximate length of the road/bridge is 37.9km with a design speed of 140km/h.

“Lagos State government has held discussions with a consortium of consultants in furtherance of the project,” said the commissioner.

He further explained the significance and value of the project, saying “this lies in its capacity to rapidly decongest the traffic gridlock within the Lekki corridor and redistribute traffic towards Lagos Mainland, which serves to meet increased future road infrastructure demands.”

Johnson, who was the special adviser on works to Governor Babatunde Fashola, also responded to question on the slow pace of work on Lagos-Badagry Expressway. He attributed the delay to paucity of funds. He said, however, that Julius Berger, the construction firm handling the Lot I between Eric Moore to Mile 2, would finish the median lanes and hand over by August this year, while CCECC to which the Lot II was awarded would continue construction in phases towards Agbara.

He added that the state government initiated a study to upgrade the network of roads in Ikeja to improve and boost the economic stature of the seat of government to word-class standard commensurate with other capital cities and also to reduce to the barest minimum, traffic gridlock along the corridor.

 “This will involve the expansion of Awolowo Way with an elevated highway from the Airport Hotel to Alausa to decongest the traffic gridlock along Allen Round-about, Kudirat Abiola Round-about and Agidingbi Round-about. There will also be an expansion of the Allen/Opebi Road to Odo Iya-Alaro via a link bridge at Ogudu to the 3rd Mainland Bridge.

These network of roads when upgraded will boost the economic activities in Ikeja being the seat of government,” he said.

BUSINESS DAY