Lekki-Ikoyi Cable-Stayed Bridge, Lagos, Nigeria
The 1.36 km Lekki-Ikoyi bridge in Lagos Nigeria connects the Lekki and Ikoyi districts of Lagos, and is the 1st cable-stayed bridge in West Africa. A cable-stayed bridge is a bridge whose deck is supported by cables running directly from the tower (or pylon) to the deck, forming a fan-like pattern or a series of parallel lines.
The Lekki-Ikoyi bridge was designed and constructed by the construction firm Julius Berger and is characterized by an impressive 90m high pylon in the middle which supports the adjacent bridge spans through inclined steel cables. Built at a cost of N29billion (approx. US$195million), construction work on the bridge started in May 2009 and it was commissioned and opened to the public four years later in May 2013. The bridge has two principal parts: a 722-metre long full ‘span approach bridge’ on the Lekki side located just above water level and a 635-metre long cable-stayed bridge with a precast structure called the ‘main bridge’. The main bridge provides a 9-metre headroom above water level to allow for maritime traffic. The bridge is a toll bridge and its use is restricted to private and commercial vehicles with a total seating capacity not exceeding 26 people.
Crane at work at foot of pylon during construction (skyscraper.com)
Aerial view of pylon & main bridge under construction with cables in place (julius-berger-int.com)
Bridge deck under construction (julius-berger-int.com)
Aerial view of bridge deck construction (julius-berger.com)
Construction works approaching completion (julius-berger.com)
Close-up view of cables running from the pylon to the bridge deck, forming fan-like pattern (Joshua Wanyama)
Close-up view of pylon and under-carriage of bridge (Joshua Wanyama)
Close-up view of under-carriage of bridge (Joshua Wanyama)
Night-time view of pylon, cables & craneage during construction (julius-berger.com)
Sunset view of completed bridge system - pylon, bridge deck and connecting (julius-berger.com)
Night-time view of completed bridge beautifully lit up (julius-berger.com)
Night-time view of completed bridge pylon and running cables beautifully lit up (muyiwa osifuye)
