The Federal Government has officially kicked off the construction of the 700-kilometer Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway. This extensive highway project is set to span nine states, with two spurs extending to the Northern States.

The Minister of Works, David Umahi, made this announcement during the formal handover of the first phase, encompassing a 47.47-kilometer dual carriageway, to Hitech Construction Company Ltd.

The Minister highlighted that the road’s construction would utilize concrete pavement, ensuring durability and longevity.

Umahi commended the progress made by Hitech Construction Company Ltd. since being awarded the contract.

He stated, “They have completed some filling of 1.3 kilometers from the day the project was awarded to them. It shows the speed they are going to deploy this project.”

He further explained, “Within a couple of weeks, we awarded the project to them, they mobilized a lot of dredging equipment, and you can see that they have recovered 1.3 kilometers of section one of the phase.”

Earlier reports from Nairametrics had outlined that the Federal Executive Council had approved the construction of the project’s first phase, spanning 47.47 kilometers and awarded to Hitech Construction Company Ltd.

The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is strategically designed to link Lagos to Cross River, traversing Ogun, Ondo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, and Akwa Ibom along the coastal route before reaching Cross River.

The Federal Government, represented by Works Minister David Umahi, had recently sought funding from the African Development Bank (AfDB) for the Lagos-Calabar Superhighway segment within Nigeria.

AfDB’s Director of Infrastructure and Urban Development, Mike Salawou, expressed the bank’s readiness to provide both financial and technical support to aid Nigeria in achieving its road development goals.