By Anthony Beauty

Lagos – The award of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway construction contract has been granted to Hitech Road Construction Company by the Federal Government. The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, made the announcement during a meeting held in Lagos with engineers from the Federal Ministry of Works and the contractor’s team.

Umahi highlighted that this project, aimed at improving national connectivity, aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s dedication to Nigeria’s restoration and rapid development. “President Tinubu is eager to fast-track the project’s commencement as part of his nation-improvement initiatives.” Umahi stressed.

The minister revealed that this initial meeting marked the first step, with another meeting scheduled in two weeks to finalize construction agreements. The project will be executed as a Public Private Partnership and will include tolls upon completion, with funding already secured by the contractor.

Phased Construction, Rail Integration, and Tolling Strategy.

Umahi outlined the project’s phased construction approach, including rail integration and toll collection strategy on every completed sections. The highway will link the Lagos-Badagry Expressway Superhighway, the Fourth Mainland Bridge, Lekki Deep Sea Port Road, and connect various points in Northern Nigeria via Ogoja-Ikom.

This highway will serve as a crucial link between South West, South East, the Niger Delta Coast of the South-South, and other regions, integrating with existing federal roads to promote economic and social development across the country.

The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway will begin at Victoria Island near Eko Atlantic City, pass through the Lekki Coastal Road, Lekki Free Trade Zone, and the Dangote Refinery. It will connect Ogun, Ondo, Delta, Edo, Bayelsa, Rivers, Aqua-Ibom, and reach Calabar, with careful consideration for environmental and safety factors, particularly in oil-producing areas

The proposed project, spanning roughly 650 to 700 kilometers in its initial design, is set to incorporate rail lines running within the central lanes of the primary roadways.

Governor Umahi disclosed that this endeavor aims to invigorate the tourism sector and introduce industrial hubs encompassing hotels, factories, residential complexes, and various essential amenities.

The minister underscored the pioneering utilization of 11-inch-thick concrete roadways reinforced with 20-millimeter materials. This approach will promote local cement production, enhance steel manufacturing capabilities in Ajaokuta, and harness Nigeria’s abundant bitumen resources

In his words:

• “It is quite innovative and the giant of Africa is beginning to show her prowess and this is being revitalized by the captain of the ship, his excellency President Bola Tinubu.
• “So, this is beautiful. Another good news is that this is going to be built on a concrete road of 11 inches thick with 20-millimeter reinforcement.”

Minister Umahi further acknowledged that the project would face difficulties as it traverses mangroves, marshy regions, flood plains, and diverse soil compositions. Consequently, a blend of construction techniques, such as pile-supported decks, sand filling, and retaining walls, will be utilized to overcome these challenges.

In Umahi words:

“And so, there will be a combination of all kinds of construction methods, the deck on pile would be there, the sand filling would be there, the retaining walls would be there.

“So, it’s a very ambitious project, quite technical and highly rewarding.”
The second meeting, scheduled in two weeks, will focus on the business case study, allowing the project to progress to the design phase. Umahi noted that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is a groundbreaking project, the first of its kind in Africa.

“So, the second meeting will come up in two weeks where the business case study will be exposed to us, and we will give them a letter to own the project and then to engage in the design.

“The Lagos-Port Harcourt-Calabar Coastal Highway is the first of its kind in the whole of Africa,”

The Significance and Environmental Aspects of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway Project.

Nicholas Rizk, the consultant representing Hitech Construction Company, underscored the appropriateness of the chosen construction techniques for a country as vast as Nigeria.

He stressed the project’s far-reaching impact, spanning various geographical terrains and delivering substantial benefits to nine states along its course.

This highway, when completed, will forge critical connections at both national and international scales, serving as an essential conduit linking the South West, South East, South-South, Niger Delta, and other regions.

Moreover, it will seamlessly integrate with the existing federal road network, fostering economic and social progress throughout the nation

In Rizk’s words: “We are connecting nine states and this road.

“In addition to the integration at the national level for Southwest and Southeast, South-South and Niger Delta, it connects with the Federal Roads going from Lagos to Sokoto.

“From Warri to Kaduna, from Port Harcourt to Kano-Maiduguri, and from Calabar to Maiduguri.

“So as the Minister mentioned, we have this coastal highway that is more or less 10 to 12 kilometres away from the shorelines to consider the issue of erosion and the sensitive environmental areas.”

Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, as explained by Rizk, commences from Victoria Island near Eko Atlantic City and traverses through key points such as the Lekki Coastal Road, Lekki Free Trade Zone, and the Dangote Refinery. It ultimately links Ogun, Ondo, Delta, Edo, and culminates in Calabar. Additionally, Rizk outlined the project’s careful consideration of health, safety, and environmental concerns, with a special focus on regions involved in oil production.

IduwiniVoice recall that the Coastal Highway Project received traction over ten years ago when the Niger Delta Development Commission NDDC embarked on and completed the Survey, and submitted the report to the Jonathan Administration, whose sketchy moves to concession the project to a consortium Chinese firms fisseled away with the change of regime.

It remains to be seen if the Tinubu Administration can muster an inroad into arguably one of the largest construction ventures across Africa.