The Federal Government has scheduled December 12 to December 17 for the opening of Section 1 of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway to the public. Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, gave the assurance in Lagos during an inspection and review of outstanding work on the first stretch of the 700km highway.
Section 1 of the project spans 47.47 kilometres from Ahmadu Bello Way to the Eleko axis and consists of six lanes and two carriageways. Umahi disclosed that the contractor, Hitech Construction Company Ltd., has completed over 80 per cent of the reinforced concrete pavement on this section.
“We also set aside April next year to have Section 1 and half of Section 2 fully completed and commissioned,” the minister said, noting that the pace and quality of work have exceeded expectations despite unforeseen challenges along the route.
According to Umahi, some areas required excavation and pit removal up to depths of 20 metres, interventions he said were not initially anticipated.
“If we are to pay for everything they have done, it will be very difficult to have this job done because there are places we didn’t envisage that we were going to be removing pits up to a depth of 20 metres,” he explained, praising Hitech as “partners in progress for the development of the country.”
Job Almost Done
The minister added that only about three kilometres of sand filling remains to be completed between Ahmadu Bello Way and Eleko Junction, expressing satisfaction with both the speed and quality of execution.
Managing Director of Hitech Construction Company Ltd., Dany Abboud, said the firm would continue backfilling from Chainage 34 to Chainage 37, adding that dredging activities are ongoing.
“We are on track to deliver. We are monitoring the settlement in the swampy areas and the water body areas due to the change of alignment,” Abboud said.
The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is one of the Federal Government’s flagship infrastructure projects, designed to link Lagos with coastal states all the way to Cross River, boost tourism, and ease movement of goods and people along Nigeria’s southern corridor.
