The Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi, has confirmed that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway will be tolled immediately after its completion and commissioning.
Umahi made the disclosure on Saturday during an inspection tour of the project in Lagos, stressing that tolling is part of the contractual arrangement with the construction company.
“I must emphasise that this road is going to be tolled, and by the contractor, it is part of the package. I will be inviting the contractor to give us the programme. I don’t want to open this permanently for traffic and then we begin to talk about tolling,” he said.
The minister explained that the contractor must begin building tolling infrastructure before the end of April.
“The contractor has to give us the programme and begin to build infrastructure before the end of April; so, we have to toll this route as soon as we complete it and as soon as it is commissioned,” Umahi added.
He emphasised that the government does not intend to delay the tolling process once the highway is inaugurated.
Budget Realignment and Challenges
Speaking on the financial implications of the project’s realignment, Umahi said there would be no further increase in the budget.
“We have concluded the re-measurements, and we are a country with a lot of other issues, and we have gone to the Bureau of Public Procurement; so, there is no opening to increase the project further,” he explained.
He revealed that the project had already recorded an increment of ₦170 billion due to diversions aimed at saving high-rise buildings, shore protection works, and the evacuation of refuse dumps—some as deep as 15 metres and stretching over several kilometres.
“Hitech has to be at this risk, and that is part of its contribution in building our nation,” Umahi said.
The project is being handled by Hitech Construction Company Ltd., which is expected to deliver the tolling infrastructure alongside the completion of the highway.
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