By Yemi Olakitan
Owners of the 800 structures affected by the proposed Fourth Mainland Bridge have been asked not to entertain any fears as they would be well compensated.
This is as the Lagos State government said the project, which estimated cost is $2.5 billion, would be completed in 2027.
This was disclosed on Friday at a news conference in Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos, by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Public Private Partnerships, Mr. Ope George, and his counterpart in the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure, Mrs. Aramide Adeyoye.
According to them, Lagos State Governor Bababjide Sanwo-Olu will turn the first sod for the project’s construction during the first quarter of 2023.
The state government stated last Thursday that Messrs CCECC-CRCCIG Consortium was the preferred bidder for building the bridge through the Office of Public-Private Partnerships.
Sanwo-Olu had promised Lagos residents on a number of occasions that the selected bidder would be disclosed before January 1, 2023.
The Fourth Bridge would be connected to eight highways, including the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway, the Lagos/Abuja Highway, Benin/Sagamu, and Igbogbo/Lagos.
The two-year project, with an estimated cost of $2.5 billion, will be carried out through a public-private partnership.
According to George, the Fourth Mainland Bridge (4MB) Project, a proposed Public Private Partnership (PPP) transport infrastructure development, will include the development of nearby real estate along with the construction and operation of a Greenfield tolled road and bridge with a design speed of 120 kilometres per hour.
When finished, the bridge would be the second-longest in Africa and feature three toll plazas, nine interchanges, a 4.5-kilometer Lagoon Bridge, and an environmentally friendly setting.
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It is also anticipated to be 37 kilometres long, beginning at Abraham Adesanya in Ajah on the Eti-Osa-Lekki-Epe corridor, and extending through Owutu/Isawo in Ikorodu to the lagoon shoreline of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
“You will recall that on November 27, 2019, the Lagos State Government issued a Request for Expressions of Interest (REOI) to launch a competitive bidding process for the selection of a concessionaire. 32 of the 52 responses received were indeed responsive.
“Thereafter, on February 10, 2020, a Request for Quotation (RFQ) was sent to the 32 eligible candidates, and on April 15, 2020, responses were received, totaling 15. Six bidders qualified after evaluation to move on to the Request for Proposal (RfP) stage.
George clarified that the contractor had now assessed the bids. The CCECC-CRCCIG Consortium was chosen as the winning bidder, beating over Messrs. The reserved bidder for the Fourth Mainland Bridge project was also shortlisted, along with MOTA-ENGIL (NIGERIA & AFRICA), CCCC, and CRBC CONSORTIUM.
Adeyoye noted that the bridge would free up new regions of the city for potential future growth while easing traffic on the existing Carter, Eko, and Third Mainland Bridges.
She claimed that the over 48 estates, traditional leaders, and other stakeholders who would be impacted by the bridge had been included by the state administration.
Adeyoye asserted that the bridge’s disadvantages paled in comparison to its benefits and urged individuals eager for the project to get underway to exercise patience and cooperate with the contractor throughout the project’s construction.
She went on to say that the project would be finished in 48 months.
Early work will reportedly bring the time frame to 54 months once the selected bidder arrives on site in the first quarter of 2019.
Adeyoye urged Lagos residents to have confidence and trust in the government, which is being run by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
She claimed that the state government had earned the trust of investors by being open and honest. The owners of the 800 structures that would be demolished would also receive fair compensation.
The second-longest road and bridge project in Africa, with enormous social and economic benefits for the people of Lagos State is being suggested as a 37 kilometre project, according to the commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso.
