By Mohamed Kamara
FREETOWN, Sierra Leone — The long-awaited Freetown-Lungi Bridge project could finally move into the construction phase by the end of 2026 or early 2027, following a financing and construction agreement between the Government of Sierra Leone and an American bridge company.
Investigations by this medium, supported by information from its correspondent in New Jersey, USA, indicate that Acrow Corporation of America, a New Jersey-based engineering and bridge construction company, is the American firm involved in the project.
The company, which has more than 70 years of experience and operations spanning over 150 countries, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Sierra Leone at State House in Freetown on June 19, 2025.
The agreement provides for the financing and construction of the Freetown-Lungi Bridge under a Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) arrangement. The signing was witnessed by then U.S. Ambassador to Sierra Leone Bryan Hunt.
Under the proposed arrangement, Acrow would finance, construct, own and operate the bridge for approximately 35 years, generating revenue through toll collection before eventually transferring ownership to the Government of Sierra Leone.
The estimated cost of the project is reportedly between $1.15 billion and $1.5 billion.
The proposed bridge is expected to span approximately 7–8 kilometres. Initial plans reportedly envisaged a six-lane bridge, although the design has subsequently been revised to four lanes with provision for a future railway connection.
Despite years of government announcements surrounding the project, construction has not yet commenced.
A fact-check conducted as of June 30, 2025, reportedly confirmed that the Lungi Bridge was not under construction and that physical works had yet to begin.
The project is currently understood to be at the feasibility, financial-closure and commercial-framework stages.
Industry estimates suggest that following the signing of an MoU, major projects of this nature can require between 12 and 18 months to complete financial arrangements and detailed design work.
If the process proceeds without further delays, construction could therefore begin in late 2026 or early 2027.
Completion could take another three to four years, potentially putting the opening of the bridge around 2030 or 2031.
The Lungi Bridge project has undergone several changes since it was first proposed.
In 2019, the Government launched a tender for the project, with an estimated cost of about $2 billion.
In December 2023, the Government signed an MoU with China Road and Bridge Corporation, with officials indicating that construction could begin in late 2024.
However, that arrangement was subsequently replaced by the 2025 agreement with Acrow Corporation of America.
In June 2025, Minister of Lands Dr. Turad Senesie also held discussions with U.S. investors as the Government sought to advance the project and establish a clearer implementation framework.
However, specific financial commitments and a definitive construction timetable had not been publicly disclosed at the time.
The Freetown-Lungi Bridge has remained one of President Julius Maada Bio’s major infrastructure promises since his 2018 presidential campaign.
The project is intended to provide a direct road connection between Freetown and Lungi, potentially reducing reliance on ferries and other forms of water transport while improving access to Freetown International Airport.
Eight years after the promise was first made, however, the absence of physical construction has continued to fuel public skepticism over when the project will finally become a reality.
With Acrow now involved under a BOOT financing model, attention is turning to whether the Government and its American partner can complete the remaining financial and technical processes and finally move the long-awaited bridge from plans and agreements to actual construction.
