Henri Konan Bédié Bridge, also known as the HKB Bridge or Third Bridge, is a road bridge and expressway linking the north and south of

Abidjan Abidjan ( , ; N’ko: ߊߓߌߖߊ߲߬) is the economic capital of the Ivory Coast. As of the 2021 census, Abidjan's population was 6.3 million, which is 21.5 percent of overall population of the country, making it the sixth most populous city p ...

. The viaduct crosses the

Ébrié Lagoon The Ébrié Lagoon lies in Ivory Coast, separated for almost all of its length from the Atlantic Ocean by a narrow coastal strip. The long lagoon is linked to the sea by the Vridi Canal, while the Comoë River flows into it. The lagoon averages ...

connecting the districts of

Cocody Cocody (, ) is a suburb of and one of the 10 urban communes of Abidjan, Ivory Coast. It is upmarket and has an abundance of mansions. Cocody is where most of the wealthy businesspeople, ambassadors, and other affluent people live in Abidjan. The U ...

and

Marcory Marcory is a suburb of Abidjan, Ivory Coast. It is one of the 10 urban communes of the city. Marcory is one of four communes of Abidjan that are entirely south of Ébrié Lagoon, the others being Treichville, Koumassi Koumassi is a suburb of A ...

. Built, financed and operated as a Public-private partnership, the toll bridge is the third major road crossing of the Ebrié lagoon and was designed to reduce congestion on its two predecessors, the Houphouët-Boigny Bridge and the

Charles de Gaulle Bridge The Charles de Gaulle Bridge is a bridge that links the eastern tip of the island of Montreal, Quebec over the Rivière des Prairies to the Lanaudière region near the city of Charlemagne. The bridge is named after French President Charles de G ...

, constructed in the 1950s and 1960s respectively.

History

The bridge was featured in development plans for Abidjan as far back as 1952. In 1997 the Ivorian government signed a concession agreement with a consortium headed by the Bouygues Group for the construction and operation of the bridge and associated expressway project. Due to political instability, major work on the project only got underway in 2011.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Henri Konan Bedie Bridge Bridges completed in 2014 Bridges in Ivory Coast 2014 establishments in Ivory Coast Buildings and structures in Abidjan Transport in Abidjan