The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway will take a new inland route through Edo State after passing through Lagos and Ogun states, Minister of Works Dave Umahi has announced.
Under the revised alignment, the highway is expected to connect with the East-West Road rather than continue strictly along the coastline, marking a change to the route originally associated with the major road project.
Brandspur Politics reports that the announcement has raised fresh questions about the highway’s alignment, the planning behind its original route and the engineering considerations informing the proposed change.
The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is a major federal infrastructure project intended to improve road connectivity across Nigeria’s southern corridor. The decision to redirect part of its route inland could have implications for communities along the proposed alignment, although details of the revised section, its precise length and the implementation timeline have not been provided in the information available.
The announcement has also renewed public discussion about the surveys conducted for the project and the progress of its various sections. However, the specific engineering reasons for the proposed detour have not been established, and further clarification would be needed to determine how the redesign could affect construction costs, delivery timelines and communities along the route.
Separately, the Federal Ministry of Works has threatened to shut down the active Lagos section of the highway within two weeks if persistent safety violations are not addressed.
The ministry’s concerns reportedly include speeding, vandalism and illegal parking, which pose risks to motorists and other road users around the construction area.
The proposed shutdown would affect the Lagos section if the identified problems are not brought under control. However, the available information does not establish whether the ultimatum has resulted in any enforcement action.
For motorists, commuters and businesses using the affected corridor, the safety warning highlights the importance of compliance with traffic rules while construction continues.
Further details on the revised alignment, including the engineering justification, affected communities and the schedule for implementation, are needed to clarify the full implications of the route change.
