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The Federal Government is rerouting sections of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway through the existing East-West Road corridor from Ondo State towards Edo State to overcome difficult terrain and reduce construction costs, Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has said.
Umahi disclosed this on Monday, explaining that President Bola Tinubu directed the ministry to utilise the existing road corridor instead of constructing a new alignment along the affected stretch.
“Divert, do not do any new alignments. Pass the coastal highway through the existing East-West road,” Umahi quoted the president as saying.
He said the decision was also informed by flooding challenges along the East-West Road, particularly around Ughelli in Delta State, where rising floodwaters have raised concerns about the road's condition.
According to the minister, the Federal Government plans to raise vulnerable sections of the road by about two metres to improve their resilience against flooding.
He added that Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, had intervened over the flooding problem, while the Federal Government was considering engineering solutions to address the situation.
Umahi also defended the realignment of sections of the coastal highway in Ondo State, insisting that the original route posed serious engineering challenges that would have significantly increased construction costs.
“I am aware of petitions against me saying I diverted the Ondo section. I welcome that,” he said.
“But the important thing is whether you are doing the right thing or the wrong thing. We have no regret for decisions taken in Ondo.”
The minister explained that the redesigned route would avoid difficult terrain requiring extensive earthworks. He said contractors had undertaken filling operations exceeding 10 metres in some areas using sharp sand, with the work almost completed.
He noted that the original alignment crossed pits exceeding 100 metres in depth and areas where suitable sharp sand was unavailable for construction requirements extending to 300 metres.
Umahi said the realignment covered Sections 4A and 4B, spanning 67 kilometres, comprising 27 kilometres in Ogun State and approximately 40 kilometres in Ondo State.
The corridor is expected to terminate around the Ondo-Edo axis, while the 45-kilometre Benin bypass is designed to ease traffic congestion in Benin City.
Giving an update on the broader coastal highway project, Umahi said the first section, covering 47.47 kilometres from Victoria Island in Lagos, had been completed and was ready for commissioning.
He added that the second section, spanning 55 kilometres to the Lagos-Ogun boundary, was expected to be completed the following month.
At the Calabar end, Sections 3A and 3B, covering 65 kilometres, had recorded more than 30 per cent completion.
Work was also progressing on an 82-kilometre dual carriageway in Akwa Ibom State and an 88-kilometre road linking Calabar to Ebidi Beach, which is intended to connect with the Trans-Saharan route.
The minister further disclosed that surveys and procurement were ongoing for a 129-kilometre dual carriageway from the Edo-Delta boundary to the Delta-Bayelsa boundary.
Construction on that stretch, he said, was expected to commence in November.
