Lungi Bridge Feasibility Studies to Begin in November With US$1.6 Million USTDA Support
Tolulope Aina Feasibility studies for Sierra Leone’s long-planned Lungi Bridge are expected to begin in November 2026, with US$1.6 million in support from the United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), Chief Minister David Moinina Sengeh has announced.
Sengeh disclosed the development after meeting representatives of U.S.-based Acrow Corporation in New York during the 81st United Nations General Assembly week. He said the meeting, which also involved National Investment Board Executive Director Dr Edward Hinga Sandy, focused on progress on the bridge project and the studies required to advance it.
According to Sengeh, Acrow will undertake a series of critical studies beginning in November, including a traffic-flow study and environmental and social studies. He said the work is necessary to establish the information required to make the project bankable and support efforts to secure private-sector financing.
The announcement marks another step in efforts to develop a direct road connection between Freetown and Lungi, where Sierra Leone’s international airport is located. The Lungi Bridge is listed by the U.S. Department of Commerce among Sierra Leone’s major transport projects in the pipeline, alongside development of Lungi International Airport and other infrastructure investments.
The latest studies should not be interpreted as the first feasibility work ever conducted on the proposed bridge. Sierra Leone has undertaken earlier assessments of the Freetown-Lungi connection. The African Development Bank, for example, financed a Freetown-Lungi road study that examined technical feasibility, economic viability and environmental and social impacts.
In 2019, the Sierra Leone Government also reported that its Presidential Infrastructure Initiative had completed a national feasibility study on the Lungi Bridge and had begun efforts to mobilise resources through a competitive process.
The project entered a new phase in June 2025 when the Government of Sierra Leone signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Acrow Corporation of America for the design, build, operation and transfer of the Lungi Bridge. The National Investment Board described the agreement as the basis for moving the project into its next stage.
The proposed arrangement places Acrow at the centre of efforts to develop and finance the project. In August 2026, U.S. Ambassador-designate Daniel Travis told a U.S. Senate confirmation hearing that an agreement was in place between Sierra Leone and Acrow for the bridge.
However, the Sierra Leone Government has previously clarified that the United States’ role is being pursued primarily through private-sector investment rather than direct U.S. government funding for construction. Information and Civic Education Minister Chernor Bah said in August that the government was seeking American private capital through a commercial arrangement to make the project bankable.
Sengeh said the Lungi Bridge project already has a commitment from the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), although the latest announcement did not provide details on the value or final terms of that support. The Chief Minister said the additional studies would help provide the basis for securing the private financing needed for the bridge.
The government has previously presented the bridge as a major infrastructure project intended to improve connectivity between Freetown and Lungi and strengthen access to the country’s international aviation gateway. The project has been under discussion for several years, with previous proposals facing financing and implementation challenges.
Sengeh said the government would take a systematic approach to the project and would not rush the process of securing foreign investment.
“We will not be rushed into anything but we will be systematic about our approach to welcoming Foreign Direct Investment in Sierra Leone,” he said.
The November studies are therefore expected to provide updated technical, traffic, environmental and social information that can be used in determining the project’s financial and investment viability as Sierra Leone and Acrow work towards the next stage of the Lungi Bridge project.