The Henri Konan Bédié (HKB) Bridge in Abidjan is a real architectural jewel and one of the symbols of the urban mobility being embraced by many large cities in emerging countries.
As well as being a technological feat, the overall impact of the bridge marks the conclusion of a long process to provide the economic capital of Côte d'Ivoire with a major civil-engineering structure on the main Riviera-Marcory road and reduce congestion on its two predecessors, the Charles de Gaulle and Houphouët-Boigny bridges, which are saturated for most of the day. The new link, also known as the "third bridge", is an urban expressway that connects the two areas mentioned and cross the Ebrié Lagoon that surrounds Abidjan.
In the medium term, this impressive structure will transform the economic and social situation in the immediate area and by extension, the economy of Côte d'Ivoire. In addition to the huge transport savings it represents, the aesthetic appeal of the bridge has transformed the area, increasing the attractiveness of the city.
The first proven impact of the bridge's development is the reduction in travel time. Drivers who take the HKB Bridge to travel between Riviera and Marcory will drive 10 kilometres less distance and save 30 minutes on their journey time. If they make the same journey every day (to go to work, for example), the same driver will save almost 2,600 km and spend 260 fewer hours in their vehicle every year.
The HKB Bridge will also have an impact on economic competitiveness and support the development of the country's industrial fabric through the corridor to be built into the country's interior.
The route of the new north-south expressway follows Boulevard Mitterrand, which is connected via an interchange; the old Bingerville road; the Blingué valley (between the university and the Riviera housing estates); Boulevard de France; the Ebrié Lagoon, which it crosses on a 1,500 m viaduct, with the toll station and operational buildings on the bank; the National Institute of Youth and Sport, along the canal and Anoumabo bridge; Avenue Pierre et Marie Curie and finally, the interchange with Boulevard Valery Giscard d'Estaing, where the project ends.
The work extends over 6.5 km costs €190 million (for a total cost of €308 million). Some 840 direct jobs were created for the construction phase and 120 other permanent employees were involved in the exploitation phase. For the AfDB, which injected €58 million ( 20% of the total funding) , the bridge represents its commitment to infrastructure development projects across the continent, such as the award-winning Thika Highway in Kenya and the Dakar-Diamniadio toll road in Senegal. The Bank's return to Côte d'Ivoire in 2014 coincides with the inauguration of the HKB Bridge.
The history of the bridge dates back to November 14, 1997, when the Government of Côte d'Ivoire signed a concession agreement with SOCOPRIM S.A. to build and operate the link between Riviera and Marcory. The agreement entered into its operational phase in 1999, with work to move sanitation and other networks. The military coup in December 1999 and its consequences forced SOCOPRIM personnel to suspend their activities on the ground until they were able to resume work. There were then significant changes in terms of funding, following the shift in the political and economic situation in 2010 and the imperative of restarting work on the project. Work resumed in 2011 thanks to an advance of funding released by the Ivorian Government.
New donors also joined the funding group, namely the West African Development Bank (BOAD); the ECOWAS Investment and Development Bank (BIDC); the Moroccan Bank for External Trade (BMCE); the Netherlands Finance and Development Institution (FMO); and the African Finance Company (SFA).
Furthermore - as mentioned at the 6th conference on PPPs in Africa, held recently in Côte d'Ivoire - the way the AfDB brought in various stakeholders to increase the resources available could inspire other public-private partnership projects (PPP). In technical terms, the arrangements helped support the project budget and receipts as well as keeping the cost of work down. This was confirmed by the AfDB's Private Sector Department director, Kodeidja Diallo: "Any way you look at it, the result of the partnership between the State and the private capital is visible and excellent. The HKB Bridge was built on time and on budget. This result is due to the fact that all the stakeholders, public and private, in this flagship project in Côte d'Ivoire absorbed and managed the risk which was assigned to them. The success of the HKB project will spark other PPP investments in Africa. The AfDB has at present in its pipeline of projects several projects which can be financed by the same model and it is in discussions with several private investors and governments. "
The land set aside by the Ivorian Government in accordance with the terms of the concession agreement was, for a time, massively occupied by people running economic activities that had been mainly set up on a temporary basis by Marcory City Hall. Progress on the project was not made easier by the presence of buildings, commercial, artisanal and agro-pastoral activities and community facilities on the land needed for the project in Marcory and, across the lagoon, in Cocody.
The revised relocation plan for people who had again been established on the land set aside for the project after it was released in 1998 enabled compliance with AfDB and other donor's standards. It was necessary to redevelop areas that had suffered, in environmental terms, from people who had been less than careful in their actions. One example is Anoumabo, a small town of 27,000 people in the municipality of Marcory, "where pig farms were running at full speed" not far from a polluting dump next to the lagoon. Everyone had to be compensated and social initiatives were implemented by refurbishing school rooms. As a result, the site has been transformed and is now unrecognizable, with the strip of sand bordered by coconut palms making it feel almost like a beach.
Another large dump was also cleared from the site and filled in. The aim was to avoid waste spilling down the slopes and ending up in the lagoon in heavy rain. Some 2,499 people of different backgrounds and occupational status were affected by the project. Completing it required the developers (the Ivorian Government and SOCOPRIM) to relocate everyone involved in economic activities on the land set aside for the development. Organizing this meant having an in-depth understanding of the socioeconomic and human factors found in the project area.
The project's many impacts include helping to improve access to its area of influence and increasing the value of the land. It created several direct jobs during the construction phase and a small number of specialist jobs during the operational phase.
Conditions for access to basic infrastructure and social services such as the university hospital in Cocody, Félix Houphouët-Boigny Airport and Cocody University have been improved for people living in Île de Petit-Bassam to the south, and other areas to the north of the District of Abidjan. The project has also encouraged people to move to the villages and neighbourhoods bordering the project's area of influence. The living environment has also been enhanced by the creation of housing estates within the project area.
The bridge is already attracting a significant amount of attention and is still the focus of conversations between users who have been waiting to be freed from the pressure of the daily traffic jam. As soon as it opens, the third bridge will offer significant savings in terms of both time and distance on journeys between north and south, with positive consequences for the economy in general and for the environment, especially air pollution, by cutting travel distances and traffic jams.
Finally, the HKB Bridge will encourage industrial development and regional integration as a result of further work to develop corridors across the country.
