Pont Philippe-Yacé, Lagoon bridge in Abidjan, Ivory Coast

The Philippe-Yacé Bridge is a 608-metre-long, 10-metre-wide concrete beam bridge with two-way traffic, crossing the Ébrié Lagoon between Songon in the north and N'dyéni in the south. Its deck rests on 17 supports, each made of three piles driven 30 to 60 metres deep.

The bridge answers a request made by Jacqueville residents since the 1950s, when two unhealthy and often failing ferries were the only link. Designed in the late 1990s under Henri Konan Bédié, it was launched in 2007 under Laurent Gbagbo, but construction only began in 2012. It was inaugurated on 21 March 2015 by Alassane Ouattara and named after Philippe Yacé, National Assembly president from 1959 to 1980 and deputy for Jacqueville until 1995.

The bridge is named after Philippe Yacé, an Ivorian senior official close to Félix Houphouët-Boigny, president of the National Assembly from 1959 to 1980 and deputy for Jacqueville until 1995. Local residents had requested a crossing since the 1950s, when the beach town was served only by two unhealthy ferries.

Expect heavy traffic during rush hours, as the bridge serves as a main route between north and south Abidjan. The roadway and pathways remain passable year-round, though rainy season can make surfaces slippery.

The deck rests on 17 supports, each formed by three piles driven 30 to 60 metres into the lagoon bed, and the finished bridge measures 608 metres long by 10 metres wide. It was inaugurated on 21 March 2015 by President Alassane Ouattara and cost more than 20 billion CFA francs.