Eko Atlantic Completes Nigeria’s First Eight Lane City Road, Bridges

Emma Okonji

Eko Atlantic City, a unique, innovative development project on the coast of Lagos, has reached advanced stages in the first five million square metres of the project, according to Chagoury Group, the development project developer.

The city not only boasts of independent power and water supply, seamless communications network, but also an 8-lane arterial road over 1,500 metres long. This will be the first of its kind in Lagos and Nigeria, the Group said in a statement.

The city, which is divided into eight districts, is planned for mixed-use with commercial, residential, entertainment and leisure activities to make the city a 24/7 lively environment. City amenities and services will include an international school, plant nurseries, hospital, and a state-of the art shopping mall.

The 8-lane boulevard’s road design and construction has been built to world’s best practice with beautifully paved sidewalks, tree-lined and streetlights completed with a stunning ocean view. One of the considerations when developing the Eko Atlantic city was to guarantee a traffic-free zone. This has now been achieved with the major road network recently completed. The extensive road network is now clearly defined with an area in excess of 200,000 sq. metres. Most significantly Eko Boulevard, the focal point of the Business District is fully completed from Ahmadu Bello Way in Victoria Island to the Ocean Front Sea Wall.

Chagoury Group said: “We are extremely proud to have achieved another major milestone in the development of Eko Atlantic City. This futuristic city is not just for residential and commercial activities but a tourist attraction. We strongly believe the new boulevard will enhance business activities, facilitate intercity transportation as well as attracting tourists from all over Africa.”
The statement explained that the city’s infrastructure network makes it the most technically advanced city in Nigeria and Africa. It comes with a fully integrated autonomous and reliable infrastructure networks with all the following installed under the extensive paved side walks – storm-water drains, sewer drains, water supply piping, power cables and Information Technology (IT) network.

The city also offers 15 connecting bridges, 14 of these have been completed. All bridges in Eko Atlantic employ a post-tensioning system for their bridge deck reinforcement. The technique uses cable under-stress rather than reinforcing rods, which is a common approach worldwide.
The city, which will soon become a home to over 450,000 people and 300,000 commuters has also made considerable progress in the city-wide canal network with 4,000 metres of canal side sheet piling already installed.

The development project is the brainchild of the Chagoury Group. The Chagoury Group is based in Nigeria, and was founded in 1971 by Gilbert Chagoury and Ronald Chagoury. The portfolio of activities include construction and property development, flour mills, water bottling and purification, glass manufacturing, healthcare, insurance, hotels, furniture manufacturing, telecommunications, IT, catering and international financing.

In 2006, South Energyx Nigeria Limited, a group subsidiary was awarded the concession to reclaim land, develop infrastructure and act as the exclusive authority over the development of Eko Atlantic city, next to Victoria Island in Lagos. South Energyx Nigeria Limited was specifically created to oversee the planning and development of Eko Atlantic, the new city of Lagos.