Sanwoolu to sign formal contract for construction of Fourth mainland Bridge in December

GOVERNOR Babajide Sanwoolu is planning to formally award a contract for the construction of the long-awaited Fourth Mainland Bridge linking Ikorodu with Lagos Island in December as the shortlist of contractors has now been whittled down to 10.

First muted over a decade ago, the Fourth Mainland Bridge has long been seen as a project that will help ease the chronic traffic jams that have come to characterise Lagos. Of the 12m cars in Nigeria, 6m of them are in Lagos State, which has the smallest landmass in Nigeria, making the metropolis in particular one huge car park during the rush hour.

After numerous cancellations, the project finally looks like it will go ahead as the Lagos State government is completing modalities for the award of a contract. Aramide Adeyoye, Governor Sanwoolu's special adviser of works and infrastructure, said that the government was transparent to ensure investor confidence in adopting private sector partnerships.

She added that in February, 32 firms were shortlisted and 10 of these bids are currently being evaluated. According to Mrs Adeyoye, technical and legal issues as well as right of way recovery and compensations for property were being addressed to ensure there is a seamless takeoff when the announcement is made.

Mrs Adeyoye said: “By December, we should be able to come to close on the reserved and preferred bidders. By the grace of God, there is no reason we should not get financial closure by the end of the year, so that you know who the preferred bidder is and who is the reserved bidder.

“All the technical studies such as geological surveys, biometric surveys and enumerations have all been done in the data room.” She added that having infrastructural gaps is a global phenomenon, pointing out that the Lagos State Government is doing its best to bridge the deficit.