The Federal Executive Council (FEC) yesterday  approved N1.07 trillion for the construction of the first phase of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.

Minister for Works, Dave Umahi said the pilot phase consists of a 47.47-kilometre dual carriageway of five lanes on each side and a train track in the middle.

The phase, according to him, is part of the 700-kilometer road, spanning nine states and with two leading up North.

The Minister, who made this known while speaking with State House correspondents shortly after FEC’s meeting in Abuja, explained that the road will be constructed with concrete.

“Today, we had the approval of FEC for the construction of 700 kilometer of coastal routes running from Lagos through the nine coastal routes or states up to Cross River, meaning that it goes to Lagos, the Lekki Deep Seaport, Ogun, Ondo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers and Akwa Ibom.

“We also have two spurs that lead to the North, from the ongoing Badagry-Sokoto route and the one that leads to the Trans-Sahara route that goes from Ogoja down to Cameroon.

“Now, it is a dual carriage way and each carriage way has five lanes and a provision for a train infrastructure that will be in the middle.”

Umahi said that FEC at its October 30,2023 meeting approved the procurement of the project under the EPC+F (Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Financing) and in favor of High Tech Construction African Limited.

According to him, “They already have started searching for the funding, but hitches here are there. And so, the Ministry went back to Mr. President to ask for two things and that was on January 18. We asked, “Can we fast track this.”

He continued, “Since this project was going to be procured in two phases and multiple sections, can we get the federal government to fund phase one, which is 47.47 kilometers running from Ahmadu Bello in Lagos down to Lekki Deep Seaport? Mr. President graciously approved.

“We also have the challenge of a lot of infrastructure on this road corridor. So, we requested Mr. President to approve that we realigned the road, so that we move closer to the ocean shore, and then avoid those properties which could lead to litigation. Mr. President also approved.

“But then that led to a new challenge. And the challenge is the need to start the project as quickly as possible as to protect, you know, the communities along the corridor.

“Today, we have procured the first section, which is 47.47 kilometers, under 10 lanes and FEC graciously approved the contract for N1.067tn with no objection.

FEC, he said has also approved that the second section be procured, to be funded by the federal government, which is about 57 kilometers and that it run from Lekki Deep Seaport to the boundary between Ogun, which  is section two of phase one.

The third section, the Minister said   starts from the end of the road, which is Calabar and that’s about 50 kilometers, and it’s procured under section three of phase one, adding that it will stretch from Calabar and going towards Akwa Ibom and towards Port Harcourt.

“Then the other sections and other places will still be under EPC+F in favor of High Tech Construction Africa Limited.

“The company is very well known in this kind of infrastructure development. An example is the Eko Atlantic Ocean such that would have swallowed the entire Victoria Island, and they’ve been able to conquer it under the same procurements.

“But, let me also announce that the road is going to be constructed with concrete and they are masters in that. You can see an example in the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway. They are also the same company that is constructing the deep seaport under the same concrete technology

“Besides that, we also have good news about some of the projects that were awarded between 2006 and 2018. And of course, you know, the prices of construction materials, like in 2006 should be expecting asphalt to cost about N2000 per meter square, and today’s constant between N27,000 and N30,000 per meter square,” he said.

He disclosed that the maintenance of Pankshin-Gindiri Road project in Pankshin in Plateau state was awarded in 2017 and that the project has stopped but that today it has gotten great momentum from N10illion to N20 billion.

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