The Federal Government says development of the 750-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is progressing as deliberate, dismissing studies that the challenge had been deserted for the East-West Road.
Sen. David Umahi, Minister of Works, said this whereas briefing newsmen on Monday on the State House in Abuja.
Umahi mentioned development is ongoing alongside varied sections of the freeway, including that the challenge remained intact and was being applied as designed.
“The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is moving and moving even faster than envisaged. Don’t forget that Section One, covering 147.47 kilometres, is being fully constructed in Lagos,” he mentioned.
The minister mentioned Section Two, overlaying 55 kilometres, was anticipated to be prepared by mid-November.
He mentioned work is ongoing on Sections Three A and Three B, overlaying about 75 kilometres in Akwa Ibom and Cross River states, with progress exceeding 40 per cent.
Umahi added that development is ongoing on Sections Four A and Four B, overlaying 65 kilometres throughout Ogun and Ondo states.
He mentioned work had additionally commenced on Section Five, overlaying 62.5 kilometres in Akwa Ibom, with greater than 20 per cent progress recorded inside lower than three months.
The minister defined that the ministry is looking for President Bola Tinubu’s approval to include about 400 kilometres of the East-West Road into the continuing infrastructure growth programme.
He mentioned the proposed intervention would cowl sections linking Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River states.
Umahi mentioned the East-West Road required consideration as a result of some sections had suffered harm from flooding, citing affected parts in Delta and Edo.
He burdened that the proposed work on the East-West Road would complement, slightly than change, the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.
“Nobody has abandoned the 750-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway. We have designers and surveyors working along the route, including in Edo, Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers,” he mentioned.
Umahi mentioned the Federal Government is enterprise surveys alongside the route to make sure the challenge’s continued growth and integration with different infrastructure tasks within the Niger Delta.
He added that the freeway remained a part of the Federal Government’s legacy infrastructure tasks and that its alignment wouldn’t be altered.
“The 750-kilometre coastal highway is intact and cannot be changed. Nobody has the power to change it because it is already designed and ongoing,” he mentioned. (NAN)
Edited by Chioma Ugboma
