Chinese consortium preferred bidder on $2.5bn Lagos bridge
11 January 2023
An artist’s impression of the Fourth Mainland Bridge in Lagos, Nigeria (Image: Office of Public-Private Partnerships Lagos)
A Chinese-led consortium of contractors has won preferred bidder status for the construction of the US$2.5 billion Fourth Mainland Bridge in Lagos, Nigeria.
The bridge will become the second longest in Africa when complete, according to the Lagos State Government.
The CCECC-CRCCIG consortium, led by the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, is in pole position for the deal. The state government named a consortium between Portuguese contractor Mota-Engil, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCCC), and China Road and Bridge as reserve bidder.
The bridge will span a total of 37km, incorporating a 4.5km-long section across the Lagos lagoon. It will also feature nine interchanges and three toll booth plazas. It runs from Abraham Adesanya in Ajah north west towards the lagoon shoreline of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Ikorodu.
The Lagos State Government started a competitive bidding process for the bridge in 2019. It whittled 52 responses down to a shortlist of three late last year. Chinese contractors made up all three shortlisted bidders.
The bridge will be able to carry traffic running at speeds of up to 120km per hour. It is being built to ease congestion on the existing Carter, Eko and Third Mainland bridges.
Construction is set to start this year, with completion scheduled for 2027.
