Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu
Lagos Govt picks consortium as preferred bidder for Fourth Mainland Bridge project
Lagos Government has picked a consortium, including the Chinese firm, China Civil Engineering and Construction Corporation (CCECC) and an American-based company, CRCCIG, as preferred bidder for the Fourth Mainland Bridge (4MB) project, nearly two months after it had shortlisted three firms for the work.
When completed, the Fourth Mainland Bridge is expected to be second longest bridge in Africa.
Announcing the decision, during a press briefing, in Ikeja, penultimate Thursday, Special Adviser to the State Governor on Public Private Partnerships (PPP), Mr. Ope George, said the project will include the construction and operation of a greenfield tolled road and bridge with a design speed of 120km/h, including the development of adjacent real estates.
George who also disclosed that the project will be Public Private Partnership (PPP)-driven, added further that the proposed bridge will feature 3 toll plazas, 9 interchanges, a 4.5km Lagoon Bridge and an eco-friendly environment.
George in announcing the consortium of Messrs CCECC-CRCCIG CONSORTIUM as the preferred bidder for the proposed project, explained that it is expected to span about 37kilometres, starting from Abraham Adesanya in Ajah, on the Eti-Osa-Lekki-Epe corridor and traverse the North West towards the Lagoon shoreline of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway via Owutu/Isawo in Ikorodu.
“You will recall that the Lagos State Government commenced a Competitive Bidding process for the selection of a Concessionaire, by the issuance of the Request for Expressions of Interest (REOI) on 27th of November, 2019 A total of 52 responses were received with 32 being responsive.
“Subsequently, a Request for Quotation (RFQ) was issued on 10th February 2020 to the 32 eligible applicants and responses were received on 15th April, 2020 with a total of 15 responses. Upon evaluation, six bidders met the criteria to progress to the Request for Proposal (RfP) stage”, he said.
It would be recalled that the 4th Mainland Bridge project had a record of about 39 companies which expressed interest to execute the project through partnership in 2019. However, the State Government stretched the bidding process to go through six stages before a finalist who would be selected based on transparency.
Some of the companies that had expressed interest in the project included: Julius Berger, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, China Jiangxi International Economic and Technical Cooperation Company Limited, Kyeryong Construction Company, Pythgoras Holdings, CRCCCI Nigeria, China State Construction and Engineering Corporation Nigeria Limited, Bua International Limited.
According to George, the bids have now been evaluated and Messrs. CCECC-CRCCIG Consortium emerging as the preferred bidder, while the Messrs MOTA-ENGIL (NIGERIA & AFRICA), CCCC & CRBC CONSORTIUM, were chosen as the reserved bidder for the Fourth Mainland Bridge project.
The 4th Mainland Bridge project was conceived over a decade ago as a way to tackle traffic congestion in Lagos.
In 2008, NLE’ Works designed the visual concept of the bridge and it was approved by the State Government. However, the project has been repeatedly hindered by lack of funds, prompting the involvement of PPP.
The bridge was originally designed with about eight interchanges to enable inter-connectivity to many parts of Lagos, in addition to its double dual lane carriageway that comprises three lanes and two meters hard shoulders on each side.
The Special Adviser restated that the bridge will reduce congestion on the existing Carter, Eko and Third Mainland Bridges while opening new areas of the City for future developments.
