The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway will now connect to the existing East-West Road around the Ondo-Edo axis instead of following an entirely new alignment into Edo State, in a major change to the route.
Minister of Works David Umahi disclosed the decision in Abuja on October 7, 2026, during a briefing on the administration’s major road projects. He said President Bola Tinubu had approved the revised plan, which is intended to address flooding and difficult terrain along the corridor.
Umahi said sections of the East-West Road would be raised by about two metres in several locations to place the carriageway above current flood levels and account for the anticipated effects of climate change.
He described the decision as one of Tinubu’s “wonderful engineering decisions”, arguing that upgrading the existing road would provide a practical solution to the engineering challenges facing the project.
The change effectively makes the highway a hybrid corridor, combining newly constructed coastal sections with an upgraded East-West Road connection through the Niger Delta.
The minister also revealed the first 47.47-kilometre section, running from Ahmadu Bello Way on Victoria Island to Eleko in Lagos, had been completed and was awaiting commissioning.
