The Nigerian Minister of Works, Mr. David Umahi, embarked on discussions with Hitech Construction Company Ltd. regarding the ambitious Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project.
According to vanguardngr.com, during a meeting held with engineers from the Federal Ministry of Works and the contractor’s team in Lagos, Umahi emphasized that this project would greatly enhance interconnectivity, serving as a vital link that binds the entire nation together.
Describing the undertaking as monumental and ambitious, Minister Umahi underscored President Bola Tinubu’s unwavering commitment to restoring and rapidly developing Nigeria. He expressed the president’s eagerness to expedite the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project and announced that this meeting was the initial step in the process.
Another meeting, scheduled for two weeks in the future, will finalize the agreements necessary to commence construction.
The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project is conceived as a Public Private Partnership (PPP) and will be tolled upon completion. The contractor has already secured the required funding for its execution. The project will be constructed in phases, with completed sections being utilized and tolled.
The proposed highway is designed to connect the Lagos-Badagry Expressway superhighway, link up with the proposed Fourth Mainland Bridge, and traverse the Lekki Deep Sea Port Road. Additionally, it will create a connection from Ogoja-Ikom, ultimately joining five points in Northern Nigeria. The initial design calls for a highway spanning approximately 650 to 700 kilometers, featuring rail lines running through the middle of the main carriageways.
This ambitious project is expected to foster tourism development and industrial clusters, including hotels, factories, and housing estates. Minister Umahi highlighted the project’s innovative nature and noted that it would be constructed using 11-inch thick concrete roads with 20-millimeter reinforcement. This approach will promote local cement manufacturing, stimulate steel production from Ajaokuta, and harness Nigeria’s abundant bitumen resources.
Minister Umahi, a civil engineer himself, acknowledged that the project would encounter various challenges as it traverses mangroves, marshy areas, floodplains, and diverse soil types. Consequently, a combination of construction methods, including deck on pile, sand filling, and retaining walls, will be employed to address these challenges.
He also emphasized the technical complexity of the project and its potential for significant rewards. The second meeting in two weeks will focus on the business case study, culminating in the issuance of a letter to authorize project ownership and design engagement.
In closing, Minister Umahi underscored the significance of the Lagos-Port Harcourt-Calabar Coastal Highway, which he proudly declared as the first of its kind in the entirety of Africa. The project represents not only a testament to Nigeria’s ambition but also an engine for economic development, national unity, and regional connectivity.
Consultant Nicholas Rizk, representing Hitech Construction, affirmed that the selected construction methods were ideal for a vast country like Nigeria. Rizk further emphasized the project’s commitment to addressing the unique economic and social characteristics of the communities along the project’s alignment, reflecting its far-reaching impact on the nation.
