Port-Bouët’s bustling Rue des Caraïbes in southern Abidjan has been sealed off to traffic since Wednesday, July 15, for a two-and-a-half-month period. Authorities cite the closure as essential for the construction of a critical railway bridge slab that forms part of Abidjan Metro Line 1. Normal traffic flow is expected to resume on September 30.

Motorists are urged to adhere to the newly established diversion routes and strictly observe all safety protocols around the construction zone. This temporary shutdown is a crucial milestone in the tight construction schedule for Côte d’Ivoire’s first elevated metro line.

Expanding Côte d’Ivoire’s capital with a 37.4 km metro network

The upcoming Abidjan Metro Line 1 will connect Anyama in the north of the economic capital to Félix Houphouët-Boigny International Airport in Port-Bouët, slicing through seven districts across 37.4 kilometers. According to the project consortium, this fully automated metro is designed to ferry over half a million passengers daily, cutting travel time to just 50 minutes—a fraction of the current rush-hour journey by car.

The infrastructure includes 18 stations, 24 bridges, a sprawling lagoon-spanning viaduct, and 34 pedestrian footbridges. By June, construction teams had nearly completed the lagoon viaduct’s civil works, with 12 of the 24 planned bridge slabs already in place. The metro is slated for commissioning by late 2028.

French-led consortium drives the metro project forward

The Abidjan metro is being delivered by a French-led consortium comprising Bouygues Travaux Publics, Alstom, Colas Rail, and Keolis. Bouygues oversees civil engineering and rolling stock supply, while Keolis will manage the line’s operations for a 15-year period post-delivery.

The total investment clocks in at around 1.36 billion euros, largely financed by France through the French Development Agency and French Treasury loans. This makes the Abidjan metro one of West Africa’s most significant French transport investments.

Addressing Abidjan’s chronic congestion crisis

With an urban population of about 5.5 million, Abidjan faces severe gridlock daily due to the absence of high-capacity public transit options. Port-Bouët, a coastal district in the south housing the international airport and industrial zones, bears the brunt of this congestion.

Once operational, the new metro is expected to slash road traffic and provide a swift, dependable alternative to buses and shared taxis. Local job creation is also anticipated, both during construction and operation phases.

Strategic implications for France’s influence in francophone Africa

From Paris’s perspective, the Abidjan metro project reinforces France’s economic and diplomatic leverage in francophone Africa. It underscores France’s strategy of funding critical infrastructure in former colonies, where French firms maintain a strong foothold amid growing competition from China and Turkey.

The success of this first-of-its-kind metro in Côte d’Ivoire could pave the way for similar French-backed projects in Senegal and Guinea. With construction advancing rapidly, the closure of Rue des Caraïbes marks one of the final critical phases before track laying and the deployment of Alstom trains across the entire route.