Coastal Highway Project: FG Changes Course, Reduces Lanes to 6

The Federal Government has announced changes to the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project, rerouting it to avoid damaging subsea cables and reducing the number of lanes from 10 to six to make the project more financially sustainable.

The Federal Government has announced a significant change in the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project, rerouting it to avoid damaging subsea cables belonging to telecommunications companies. This move aims to prevent potential disruptions to internet and phone services.

In another development, the government has scaled back the project's scope, reducing the number of lanes from 10 to six. This cost-cutting measure aims to make the flagship project more financially sustainable.

During a meeting with contractors in Abuja on Tuesday, June 11, the Minister of Works, David Umahi, disclosed that the government has released N10 billion as compensation to property owners affected by the demolition required for the construction of the 700km Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway. This payment marks a significant milestone in the project's progress.

The government has set a target of May 2025 for the completion of the initial 47 kilometers of the Lagos-Calabar highway project, making it accessible to the public.

The Federal Government launched the construction of the Lagos-Calabar highway earlier this year, a massive project spanning nine states with two branches extending to the northern regions, featuring concrete pavement.

To address the impact on landowners, the government established a committee responsible for reviewing, assessing, and providing compensation to those affected by the expressway construction.

As of May 1, the Federal Government began disbursing N2.75 billion in compensation to property owners who have been impacted by the necessary demolition for the expressway construction, marking a significant step in the project's progress.

The first phase of the project will stretch from Eko Atlantic to the Lekki Deep Sea Port, marking the starting point and endpoint of Section One.

He said, “For the three legacy projects by the administration, the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway, we have cut down the project size to six lanes, especially from sections two, three, and four, it shows you that we mean business. Some people have been writing that we have stopped the project. No project is stopped. As we are talking now, over four kilometres of concrete road has been completed on six lanes.

“We had to establish a new path due to complaints made by MTN on its subsea cable and Okuaja community, we had to reroute not to the new alignment, not to the two, and we came back to a new alignment at kilometre 25. So the work is going and it's moving smoothly. We have paid the total compensation of close to N10bn. we are not owing and the contractor is highly commended for a very beautiful job, commitment, and being very reasonable.

“These projects are investments, and they have inherent returns on investments, By May 29, 2025, we will have completed section one of the Lagos- Calabar coastal highway. Apart from the land, we are going to acquire for tourism, road within 10 years we would recover the cost of the money so it is an investment.”

He added, “Sections three and four have been finalised, but we are going to do stakeholder engagement in either Cross River or Akwa Ibom because that is where those sections will get started so that we can ensure procurement. But the design is almost completed.”

The minister further elaborated on his comments during the meeting, expressing regret over the financial challenges faced by the government. He pointed out that the government inherited a massive portfolio of over 2,600 projects worth N15 trillion, which has put a significant strain on resources.

The minister attributed the delay in payments to contractors to the inherited projects, as well as the initiation of 330 emergency projects valued at N260 billion. However, he noted that more than 80 percent of these projects have already been completed, demonstrating progress despite the challenges.

The Minister emphasized that the ministry will take a firmer stance on project costs, no longer allowing contractors to unilaterally dictate prices through excessive variations. This move aims to promote transparency and accountability in project management.

The Minister of Works announced that Julius Berger will restart work on the unfinished section of the Abuja-Kano highway, following the resolution of certain issues that had caused delays.

“I commend Julius Berger very highly, some of you thought we were going to be quarrelling but yesterday we resolved a lot of our issues and by this week, the Abuja-Kano work will resume.”

The Minister of Works provided assurance that the issues surrounding the recently flooded Kara bridge have been fully addressed, ensuring that the area will no longer be prone to flooding.

“Also, in the next few days or weeks, we would have completed the installation of CCTV on the bridge so that we can checkmate what is happening there and we have less than 5 minutes of response time from securities agencies to avert any form of incidents," he concluded.