The Third Mainland Bridge, one of three road bridges over the Lagos Lagoon, is the longest and is situated in Lagos, Nigeria.
The Ibrahim Babangida Bridge, named after a Nigerian president, serves as a link between Lagos’s commercial district and the mainland. The bridge spans 7.3 miles, making it Africa’s second-longest bridge.
To relieve traffic and congestion brought on by Lagos’s fast growth, the Third Mainland Bridge was constructed in the late 1970s.
The project was completed in phases by Julius Berger and PGH Venture, and it was made public in 1990. It has supported heavy traffic supporting daily commuters to and from work for the last 33 years.
However, in the 2000s, issues like vibrations and cracks started to appear as a result of the heavy load. For instance, numerous commuters reported in 2006 that the bridge was trembling, frightening oncoming traffic.
The Third Mainland Bridge has undergone numerous renovations and closures to address this. The most recent of these lasted for five weeks in November of 2023 according to reports.
The Third Mainland Bridge is a major Lagos icon, offering different views of Lagos, the Lagos Lagoon, the University of Lagos waterfront, and Makoko, a shanty town built on the Lagos Lagoon.