BY OLASUNKANMI AKONI

LAGOS—Lagos State government yesterday unveiled three different strategies for the construction of the much anticipated Fourth Mainland Bridge in the state; just as it explained the challenges halting immediate commencement of the project.

Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat in a chat with newsmen yesterday, reiterated that the state government was committed to the construction of the bridge which would reduce travel time between Ikorodu and Lekki axis of the state.
Hamzat, however, explained that the current administration was not in a hurry to dabble into the project.

Explaining the intrincacies involved in the construction of the project, the commissioner said contrary to speculation that the government had jettisoned the plan; preliminary work on the bridge wass still ongoing, just as government continued to ponder on the best options to embark on the massive project.

Hamzat said the state government had come up with three different alignment options for the bridge which was necessitated following the dilemma of having to demolish about 318 houses to accommodate the bridge with the initial alignment.

The commissioner said the major challenge hindering the execution of the project was the consideration of the alignment for the Bridge and the road networks, noting that it took 18 months before contractors moved to site to commence the construction of the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge.

According to him, “building a bridge is not a joke; it’s not something you can do within a week or two weeks, so there are all sorts of things that need to be on ground depending on the complexity of the bridge.
“Remember that when motorists exit the bridge, they will need an exit route. And this route will require motorists to drive through a road that will afford them to link Ijede in Ikorodu and later link Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. And the entire length of the road is about 23 kilometers.”