The Lagos state government in Nigeria has announced its intentions to conclude financial close for the Fourth Mainland Bridge Public-Private Partnership (PPP) project in the first quarter of 2021.

The project construction cost is NGN 844 billion (USD 2.17 billion) and it will be funded solely by the private sector. The bridge will be constructed under a Build, Operate, and Transfer (BOT) basis through a concession contract of 40 years.

The dual carriage bridge, which will comprise three lanes and two meters hard shoulder on each side, will be located in Lagos and it will be the longest bridge in Africa upon completion with a total length of 38 kilometers. The bridge will be designed as a two-level bridge – the upper level will be assigned for the vehicular traffic, and the lower level for pedestrian, social, commercial and cultural interactions. Local architecture studio NLE Works proposed a design speed of 140km/h on the bridge. The bridge will be made up of eight interchanges to facilitate effective interconnectivity between different parts of the State.

The authorities have already shortlisted 14 Chinese, 3 Spanish, 7 Nigerian, and 1 Mexican firm for the project. A total of 52 companies submitted the interest for the project. The financial closure would be the last step of the bidding process, after which construction works for the project will commence. The construction works are expected to last three years.

In May 2017 the Government canceled the contract with a consortium for the construction of the Bridge due to the delay in the commencement of the works. In April 2018 it was announced that the new concessionaire will be selected in June 2018. No concessionaire was chosen since then.