The federal government has started building the 700-kilometer Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and maintaining critical bridges in Lagos.
The Minister of Works, Nweze David Umahi, mentioned during the handover of the first phase of the project that the government will not tolerate any delays or slow progress once the work has begun.
The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway goes through nine states, with two branches leading to the Northern States.
A statement from the minister’s media advisor, Orji Uchenna, stated that the first phase, which consists of a 47.47-kilometer dual carriageway made of concrete pavement, has been given to Hitech Construction Company Ltd.
The minister, along with the Federal Ministry of Works’ controller for Lagos State, Engr. O. I. Kesha, stressed the importance of all contractors completing federal government road projects promptly.
He praised Hitech Construction Company Nigeria Ltd for their high-quality work and quick project completion.
Uchenna said, “They have completed some filling of 1.3 kilometer from the day the project was awarded to them. It shows the speed they are going to deploy to this project. 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-kilometre of section one of the phase.”
The minister visited project sites at Queen’s Drive Ikoyi, the top deck of the Third Mainland Bridge, underwater areas, Eddo Bridge, and Carter Bridge.
He expressed the federal government’s determination to comprehensively rehabilitate these critical bridges that connect the Mainland and Island of Lagos. The repairs will include work on both the top and under parts of the bridges.
He said, “At the Third Mainland bridge, we have three or four critical elements to be rehabilitated.
“The first one is the deck, and the deck is about 11 kilometers × two. That is dual carriageway, including the ramps, and it has been done by CCECC. They have done very beautiful jobs, but we have not concluded.
“Before the end of March, we’ll be concluding the asphalt milling and the asphalting.”
