By Ere-ebi Agedah Imisi
The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has said the Federal Government’s major infrastructure projects under President Bola Tinubu are transforming Nigeria’s transportation network, strengthening national connectivity and creating new opportunities for economic growth.
Umahi stated this on Wednesday in Abuja where he provided updates on the administration’s four major legacy road projects, ongoing federal road interventions, completed projects and procurement processes.
He noted that the coastal highway was being executed in phases across several states to improve connectivity and stimulate economic activities along the corridor.
The minister identified the four legacy projects as the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway, Calabar-Ebonyi-Abuja Highway, also known as the Trans-Saharan Route, and the Akwanga-Jos-Bauchi-Gombe-Biu-Maiduguri Road.
He added that the Federal Government is prioritising concrete pavement for major road projects because of its durability, with the legacy road projects expected to carry guarantees of between 50 and 100 years.
The minister said Section Two featured major flyovers, overpasses and underpasses designed to address critical traffic points and accommodate heavy-duty vehicles operating around industrial facilities.
He explained that some sections of the project had to be redesigned following soil investigations and other engineering considerations.
Umahi said a major conflict point around the deep-sea port corridor also necessitated a new flyover to manage traffic from the port, service roads, the refinery area and the Lekki-Epe axis.
He further disclosed that work was progressing on Sections 4A and 4B in Ogun State, covering about 67 kilometres, while construction had commenced on Sections 3A and 3B in the Edo axis, where more than 30 per cent of the 65-kilometre section had been completed.
According to him, the Federal Government had adopted the existing East-West Road for part of the coastal highway alignment from Ondo into Edo State instead of constructing an entirely new route.
He noted that the approach would enable the government to raise vulnerable portions of the road by about two metres to mitigate flooding and the impact of climate change.
Umahi added that the 45-kilometre Benin bypass would help motorists avoid the congested Benin City urban centre and improve movement along the corridor.
On the extension of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway into the South-South, he said work was ongoing on sections leading towards Delta, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River states.
The minister also said construction was progressing on the 1,068-kilometre Sokoto-Badagry Highway, with about 60 per cent completion recorded on the first 120-kilometre section and over 40 per cent on the 250-kilometre Kebbi section.
Umahi said the Federal Government remained committed to completing major road projects despite security, funding and engineering challenges.
He however added that contractors handling federal projects would face stricter supervision, warning that funds released for road construction must be deployed to project sites or will be retrieved by the government.
