Located at the core of Lagos, Nigeria, the Third Mainland Bridge gracefully extends, seamlessly connecting the bustling commercial hub of Lagos Island with the vibrant mainland section of the city. At 11.8km long, it stands as the longest of the three road bridges (Eko and Carter) crossing Lagos Lagoon.
At the time it opened in 1990, the structure was the longest bridge in Africa until 1996 when the 6th October Bridge located in Cairo was completed. The structure made use of reinforced concrete and engineers had to construct an artificial island in Lagos Lagoon at the point the bridge met the road interchange at Ebute Metta. It carries eight lanes of traffic – four in each direction.
While it has contributed to improving connectivity and easing traffic congestion to some extent, it would be inaccurate to say that it has completely solved the traffic issues in Lagos.
Lagos is a vibrant metropolis with high population density and rapid population growth, which poses considerable challenges in terms of traffic congestion. The 7.3 Aerial Artery has undeniably offered commuters an extra avenue, alleviating traffic flow from heavily congested roads. Nevertheless, persistent traffic congestion in Lagos persists due to a combination of factors such as population expansion, urbanization, insufficient road infrastructure, and a significant volume of vehicles traversing the city.
Hence, the introduction of a dependable alternative route becomes imperative. With the level of development and growth the state’s economy sees, a reasonable quota can go into constructing even more extensive public transportation networks and high-speed aerial rail infrastructures.
Until then, this old 7.3 miles highway remains the longest bridge in the giant of Africa.
