Do you know the construction of The 3rd Mainland Bridge cost less than a billion naira? Find out more facts about the 2nd longest bridge in Africa

The Third Mainland Bridge, unporpularly called Ibrahim Babangida Boulevard, is a bridge in the economic capital of Nigeria, Lagos.


It is the longest of three road bridges crossing Lagos Lagoon.

Let's take a look at the interestingly amazing facts about the prestigiously iconic 3rd Mainland Bridge...


1. Ibrahim Babangida bridge is the official name of the Third Mainland Bridge.

2. It was named Third-Mainland Bridge because it is one of the three bridges connecting Lagos Island to the Mainland. Eko and Carter Bridges are the names of the two other bridges but Third Mainland is the longest of the three bridges.

3. The Third-Mainland Bridge begins from Oworonshoki axis on the mainland from where it courses through the Lagoon stopping at the Adeniji Adele Interchange on Lagos Island.

4. In the early 1980s when the construction of the bridge was ongoing, the American press ran a documentary titled 'The Squandering of Riches,' to satirise how African Head of States embark on white elephant projects only to abandon them later. This spurred Gen Ibrahim Babangida into action to prove them wrong.

5. A collaborative effort between Gen Ibrahim Babangida, the then Nigerian Head of State and Raji Rasaki, the then governor of Lagos State led to the completion of the Third-Mainland Bridge.

6. The bridge was constructed by famous engineering giant, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc

7. The total cost of the bridge was less than a billion naira

8. It was commissioned on 17th August, 1990 which doubles as the birthday of Gen Ibrahim Babangida.

9. The Third-Mainland Bridge is the longest bridge across West Africa.

10. It has a total length of 11. 8 km approximately 12 km.



11. It was the longest bridge in the whole of Africa before the completion of Cairo's '6th October Bridge,' in 1996.

12. Riding through the bridge, one can see beautiful views of Lagos Lagoon, University of Lagos Waterfront and Makoko, a sprawling shanty town on the Lagos Lagoon.

13. The Third-Mainland Bridge has eight lanes

14. It takes about 10-15 minutes to drive through the bridge.

15. In 2006, commuters plying the bridge laid a complaint on the apparent vibration of the bridge which led the government to partially close the bridge for repairs.

16. The repairs were carried out by Borini and Promo Co. (Nig) ltd which involved the removal and replacement of right defective expansion joints.

17. The bridge was reopened in October 2012 fully for traffic.

18. The repairs gulped over one billion naira.

19. A lot of people believed that the official name of the bridge couldn't stand because of the June 12th saga.

20. Of recent, the bridge has been the choice location for commiting suicide in the country.

21. The scheme was built in two phases. Phase one saw construction between Lagos Island and the road interchange at Ebute Metta – a neighbourhood of mainland Lagos – between 1976 and 1980.

22. Phase two continued the scheme north to the coast of Oworonshoki, another area of the capital. Work on this second section lasted from 1988 to 1990.

23. When it first opened, the Third Mainland Bridge relieved much of the heavy traffic and congestion that had been typical of Lagos in the 1980s. Traffic moved faster and road communications around the city improved.

24. The bridge prompted a housing boom in Lagos with more people moving to the city. It now carries a very heavy volume of traffic daily – tailbacks can be several kilometres long.

25. There’s a median separator – a structure to mark the division between the two sets of lanes – running down the centre of the bridge.

26. Engineers used two slender concrete shafts – or pillars - for each of the bridge’s piers. A pier is an upright support for a structure such as a bridge or arch.

27. The project team constructed most of the bridge’s spans at 45m, though some were up to 60m. A span is the distance between two of a bridge’s piers.

28. The overall width of the structure is 33.1m, including 3.5m for the median separator.

29. Engineers constructed an artificial island in Lagos Lagoon at the point the bridge met the road interchange at Ebute Metta.

30. The scheme used reinforced concrete to construct the main bridge. The structure’s deck – the part that carries traffic – was also made of reinforced concrete.

31. There is a link midway through the bridge that leads to Herbert Macaulay Way, Yaba.