Julius Berger's presence in Nigeria dates back to 1965 when the firm won a tender to construct a ₦31.2 million second mainland bridge In Lagos. The project was a significant civil engineering endeavor because it was the first in the country to be built with pre-stressed concrete. The construction of the bridge was designed in phases with the first phase completed in 1969 and last phase completed in 1974. While working on the project, Berger undertook other projects in the country, municipal water works project in Jos awarded by the government of
Benue-Plateau State was the firm's first construction project outside of LAGOS STATE. This project involved building a
reservoir to conserve rain water and building a dam, water treatment plant and tanks. The firm's efficiency in building the first phase of Eko bridge made it a top choice to repair the
bridge over
River Niger which had been damaged during the
civil war. This project kept the company busy in Nigeria. When the war ended, vehicular and shipping traffic in Lagos increased and additional road infrastructure such as Eko bridge did little to ease traffic congestion. To ease traffic congestion, the government awarded Berger additional road construction contracts, the projects and the Niger bridge made viable a permanent establishment in the country. The Lagos State projects included the construction of the
Lagos - Badagry expressway, Itoikin-Ikorudu-Epe single carriageway, and
ring roads and
Apapa - Oshodi and Agege Motor Road. Gradually the firm and its blue B logo established a reputation in civil engineering works within the country, this coincided with a period that the federal government focused its attention on developing the country's Trunk A road system. The firm was involved in constructing the 26-mile Lagos to Shagamu portion of Lagos to Ibadan expressway and
Jebba road bridge. Julius Berger was registered in Nigeria prior to building the
Jos water works, in 1974. It sold 40% of its equity to Lagos and Benue-Plateau State governments and three years later sold an additional 20% to the public. After a cement armada caused chaos at Apapa port, the company was invited to build a new port at
Tin Can Island. In the 1970s and early 1980s, it was involved in the civil works at
Aladja and
Ajaokuta Steel complexes and the new federal capital territory,
Abuja. ==Timeline==