Land transportation infrastructure in Lagos State (Nigeria) is presently enhanced by Lagos-Badagry/Seme Express (westward), Lagos-Otta/Idiroko Road (northwest), Lagos-Otta/Abeokuta Road (north central), Lagos-Ibadan Expressway (north central), Lagos – Ikorodu/Sagamu Road (north east), Lagos Ikorodu/Itoikin Road (north central) and Lagos-Epe Expressway (eastward). Presently Lagos-Badagry/Seme Expressway is accorded international status. Two other roads are planned with international status; Lagos-Sokoto Expressway (construction started, and later abandoned) is planned as part of the Trans-Sahara Highway, while Lagos-Calabar Expressway (The Coastal Road, construction started and later abandoned) is planned as part of the Trans-West African Highway.
The addition to the land transportation infrastructure is the railway.
Lagos –Kano/Maiduguri rail line (northward) had complemented the roads to facilitate land transportation for easy movement of passenger and goods into and from Lagos, to the hinterland of Nigeria (in particular) and Africa (in general).
Towards further development of the railway, it planned to construct the Lagos-Calabar rail line (eastward) beginning from 2016 fiscal year. In the same vain, 4th Lagos-Mainland Bridge Project is the focus in this piece.
Few years ago, the focus of Lagos State Government was on the growing population in Ikorodu division, and the bottleneck created by the market activities at Mile 12 along-Ikorodu road. Vehicular traffic to and from Ikorodu had increased tremendously, and movement of passengers and goods along the route was harrowing. Lagos State Government then planned three projects as palliatives.
Owutu (Ikorodu)-Ishawo-Ikeja was designed and approved for construction. The second project was the extension of the BRT corridor from Mile 12 to Ikorodu, with provision for conversion in future to Light Rail System (the Brown Line – CMS to Ikorodu). The third project to ease the movement of passengers and goods to and from Ikorodu was to provide a link bridge (4th Lagos-Mainland Bridge) between Baiyeku in Ikorodu division and Lamgbasa in Lagos division to link Lekki-Epe Expressway through Lamgbasa/Badore/Ajah road. The link bridge would provide another route for the movement of passengers and goods between Ikorodu and Central Business Districts in Lagos Island and Ikoyi.
Courtesy of Lagos Urban Transport Project (LUTP) II, the World Bank financed the extension of the BRT corridor from Mile 12 to Ikorodu with provision for conversion in future to Light Rail System (the Brown Line – CMS to Ikorodu). The project was commissioned in the fiscal year 2015. Then, the construction of Owutu (Ikorodu)-Ishawo -Ikeja road and the Link Bridge between Baiyeku and Lamgbasa remained in negotiations under the Public-Private-Participation (PPP) scheme. The outcome of the negotiations eventually surfaced in the Memorandum of Understanding recently formalized between Lagos State Government and the Private Sector Consortium, led by Access Bank Plc, for the execution of the 4th Lagos Mainland Bridge Project.
While Lagos State Government was considering transportation links from the Lekki Free Trade Zone to suitable Federal Highway within the confines of Lagos state boundaries, the need for the 4th Lagos-Mainland Bridge was identified.
The bridge, starting from Lamgbasa in Lagos division, is to link Baiyeku in Ikorodu division and an access to suitable federal highway. In the absence of a suitable federal highway in Ikorodu division, the option is for the project to transverse Ikorodu division, east to west, to connect the E1 (Lagos-Ibadan Expressway). This option informed the alignments of the 4th Lagos -Mainland Bridge Project.
The road project to be executed is 38.00km long, from Lagos – Ibadan Expressway to Lekki-Epe Expressway. The entire length of the project will accommodate a “central light rail” facility along the route for commuters’ movement. Also, the project will facilitate future links to the Coastal Road at Lekki and will enhance the attraction to the Lekki Free Trade Zone developments.
The 4th Lagos – Mainland Bridge Project strategically combines into one project, the construction of Owutu (Ikorodu) – Ishawo -Ikeja road and the proposed link bridge between Baiyeku (Ikorodu) and Lamgbasa (Lagos division). The two approved Lagos State Government projects would ease the movement of passengers and goods to and from Ikorodu division.
Also, the 38.00km project from Lagos-Ibadan Expressway to Lekki –Epe Expressway, with 8 No. interchanges, will open up lands along the route, more than half of which is in Ikorodu division. The ingenuity of the proprietors is herein commended. The aspiration of residents of Ikorodu division is herein achieved.