- The minister explained that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway will not function as a township road when it is completed, noting that the road is designed as a high-speed expressway
The federal government has opened up on the continued closure of the recently commissioned 30 kilometres stretch of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal highway.
Recall that the purportedly completed sections of the Highway were commissioned by President Bola Tinubu in May with pomp and fanfare.
But after over a month of the road’s inauguration, it remains closed to motorists who should use it.
Speaking on the continued closure, Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, clarified that the road is not yet open to motorists — and will not be anytime soon — because works are still going on in critical segments of the road.
The Minister made the disclosure on Friday during a press conference during his inspection tour of major federal projects across the South-West.
He said, “It’s not going to be open to motorists and Mr. President said I should not listen to what people are saying when they’re not saying things correctly. But sometimes, when people are not saying things correctly, you have to explain and explain. We owe it to the public.”
According to Umahi, while 30km of the 47.47km stretch under current construction has been completed, the remaining 17.47km is still under active development and must be connected before full access can be granted.
The minister explained that the road will not function as a township road when completed, noting that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is designed as a high-speed expressway, and uncontrolled access could negatively affect and hinder its purpose and safety.
Umahi stated that residents in surrounding areas and urban sections will later be allowed to use the highway — but only through designated interchanges. The road is ultimately intended for uninterrupted long-distance travel, not local commuting.
He said, “This 47.47 km, we completed the first 20 km at the beginning and then we completed the other 10 km. Now there is a section that is not completed. 47.47 minus 30, you still have 17.47 and that’s what we are working to join. But when we have joined it, if you are travelling from Ahmadu Bello way to Lekki free zone, then you can use the coastal highway. But if you are coming from the urban sections of these estates, you can use it, but you can use it through the interchange.
“When you are at the express, it’s express, Umahi said. “It’s a super highway. So it’s not going to be open to the public the way they think, because if you allow it to become a township road, then you will see what will happen. Neither you nor I can pass there. People will be coming, people will be going, and there will be a head-on collision, and it will be defeated. So the idea is that if you put your throttle at Ahmadu Bello, then you see yourself at Calabar. That is the idea.”
The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is a flagship infrastructure project of the Tinubu administration and is envisioned to span over 700 kilometres, connecting coastal states and enhancing economic access across southern Nigeria.
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