London, Dec. 19, 2019 (AltAfrica)-Lagos state government, says it is overwhelmed with optimism after unveiling 39 construction companies across the globe that expressed interest in the construction of its proposed Fourth Mainland Bridge

RELATED: LAGOS TO CONDUCT LIVE BIDDING FOR 37-KILOMETRE 4TH MAINLAND BRIDGE

The companies some of which were local, Europe and Asian based Julius Berger, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), Kyeryong Construction Company, Pythgoras Holdings and CRCCCI Nigeria.

READ ALSO: CÔTE D’IVOIRE GETS € 60M GRANTS FROM GERMANY TO FINANCE REFORMS IN THE RENEWABLE ENERGY SECTOR

Others are China State Construction and Engineering Corporation Nigeria Ltd, Bua International Ltd, China Jiangxi International Economic and Technical Cooperation Company Ltd, among others.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the state government had advertised for expression of interest on the Fourth Mainland Bridge some weeks ago.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Works and Infrastructure, Mrs Aramide Adeyoye, said the opening of the bid was the first of the six stages before a winner would be selected to construct the proposed bridge.

Adeyoye said that the process was very transparent, adding that government was encouraged by the number of companies that bidded for the project worldwide.

She said since the government did not have the fund for the project, it had to place it under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement.

According to her, the next step of evaluation will begin soon, adding that the companies that qualified for the next stage would be contacted.

She said that the state government made the bidding public to get investors’ confidence in the project.

The special adviser said that government was committed to ensuring that the project, which had been in the pipeline for over 30 years, was completed to further ease gridlock in the state.

The Managing Director, Advanced Engineering Consultants, Dr Peter Agunbiade, said that the journey to construct the Fourth Mainland Bridge began many years ago.

Agunbiade said that the current administration of Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, hadm it possible for the construction of the bridge to be revisited.

He said that companies in Europe, Asia and others duly expressed interest in the project, assuring that the state government would ensure transparency in executing the bid.

The Permanent Secretary, Works and Infrastructure, Mr Olujimi Hutonu, said the journey started on Nov. 28, 2019 when the advert for expression of interest was placed.

Hutonu said that three weeks later, the expression of interest had been opened and made public.