Coastal to inland highway: What changed?

T****he federal government’s decision to divert part of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway through the East-West Road corridor has stirred controversy, with the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, defending the move as an engineering necessity aimed at reducing construction costs and ensuring value for public funds.

Umahi explained that the original alignment of the coastal highway through Ondo State presented significant engineering challenges, including deep pits and unsuitable terrain that would have substantially increased the cost of construction.

He maintained that the decision to redesign the route was guided by technical assessments rather than political considerations, insisting that proceeding with the original alignment would have imposed an unnecessary financial burden on the government.

The minister made the clarification during a press briefing, responding to petitions and allegations that he had diverted the coastal highway from its approved route in Ondo State.

Daily Trust reports that the coastal highway project is a signature project of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration aimed at easing commuting from Lagos to Calabar.

The first phase of the project was commissioned by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in May 2025 amidst pomp.

The road is a four-lane highway from the former Bar Beach/Victoria Island entry point built with concrete pavement.

From Victoria Island, Lagos, it was originally designed to pass through Ogun State; Ondo State; Delta State; Bayelsa State; Rivers State and Akwa-Ibom State.

The federal government in 2025 said it plans to spend $747 million on the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project following the approval of an additional $47 million external loan to fund the project.

The new loan was captured under the government’s 2025–2026 external borrowing plan request approved by the lawmakers.

Tinubu, said the adjustment to the borrowing plan was due to an increase in the funding requirement for the project, whose cost rose from $700 million to $747 million, a $47 million increment.

So far, with over 40 kilometers of the highway completed, the federal government has sunk over hundreds of billions into the project.

Why the rerouting

The Works Minister explained that the terrain along the original alignment was unsuitable for conventional road construction because of the depth of the pits and the absence of suitable sharp sand within the required depth for filling and stabilisation.

“You want me to pass through a terrain that is over 100 metres of pits deep, and I have no defined sharp sand up to 300 metres, and you expect the cost of one kilometre to be the same cost with a road passing through normal terrain?” he asked.

He said the ministry consequently undertook a detour and redesigned to avoid the difficult terrain.

“We had to take a very serious engineering decision by making a detour, redesigning it to avoid such a route. We are doing a filling of over 10 metres, which is 30 feet plus, with sharp sand, and filling is almost concluded,” the minister said.

He added that the diversion affects Sections 4A and 4B of the coastal highway, covering 67 kilometres, comprising 27 kilometres in Ogun State and about 40 kilometres in Ondo State. The section will terminate around the Ondo-Edo axis.

Providing an update on the wider project, Umahi said Section 1, a 47.47-kilometre stretch from Victoria Island, Lagos, had been completed and was ready for commissioning.

He added that the dual pavement on Section 2, which covers 55 kilometres and terminates at the Lagos-Ogun boundary, would be completed next month.

The minister said the flyovers, overpasses and underpasses on Section 2 had required extensive redesign, particularly around the Dangote Refinery and Lekki Deep Seaport.

He explained that an 86-metre-span bridge, with 43-metre counterforts, had been designed to accommodate refinery trucks and resolve a traffic conflict involving the deep-seaport train, the Dangote tax-credit road and the 25-kilometre Seventh Axial Road linking Epe to the Sagamu expressway.

“We have redesigned a very beautiful flyover to resolve that conflict,” Umahi said.

At the Calabar end, he said Sections 3A and 3B, covering 65 kilometres, had achieved more than 30 per cent completion.

The minister also confirmed that construction was ongoing on Section 5, an 82-kilometre dual carriageway in Akwa Ibom State.

In addition, he disclosed that work was progressing on an 88-kilometre link from Calabar to Ebidi Beach, which is intended to connect with the Trans-Saharan route.

Despite Umahi’s explanation, the diversion of Sections 4A and 4B is likely to remain a subject of public scrutiny, given the strategic importance of the coastal highway and the substantial public resources committed to its construction.

What changed?

While the minister has maintained that the adjustment was necessary to avoid unsuitable terrain and prevent construction costs from escalating, experts asked whether no feasibility study was carried out before the project.

A former chairman of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Ikeja branch, Engr. Akintayo Akintola, raised concerns over the planning, environmental implications and long-term accessibility of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.

Akintola questioned whether adequate feasibility studies and environmental assessments were conducted before construction began, particularly in areas where the proposed highway could alter natural drainage patterns and affect neighbouring communities.

Akintola argued that the debate should extend beyond construction costs to include the original planning assumptions, environmental consequences and the road’s intended benefits to commuters and host communities.

He recalled previous concerns raised about the need for environmental impact assessments before the commencement of major infrastructure projects, questioning whether sufficient attention had been paid to the physical characteristics of the coastal corridor.

According to him, the engineering implications of constructing an elevated road through low-lying coastal communities require careful consideration, particularly regarding water movement and drainage.

He explained that hydraulic engineering principles demand that road designs account for the natural flow of water from higher ground towards lower areas and ultimately into the sea.

Akintola warned that constructing a raised highway embankment without adequate drainage provisions could obstruct natural water movement and potentially affect surrounding communities.

He observed that sections of the proposed road could function as embankments, raising questions about how water would flow across the landscape once the highway was completed.

His remarks underscore the need for detailed engineering assessments to establish whether appropriate drainage channels, culverts and other hydraulic structures had been incorporated into the project design.

Akintola also raised questions about the proposed tolling arrangements and the need to ensure that the coastal highway remains accessible to different categories of road users.

He suggested that alternative routes should be considered in the planning of major transport infrastructure so that commuters who cannot afford toll charges would not be left without practical options.

Another expert, Engr. Abbas Mohammed wondered if preliminary study and hydrological survey were conducted before the start of the project.

However, he stated that there was nothing wrong with the government correcting the error by rerouting the project which would go a long way in saving costs.

The engineer said major infrastructure projects of such magnitude should be supported by comprehensive feasibility studies to identify potential construction challenges before work begins.

Abbas said the development raised questions about the extent of the investigations conducted before the original route was selected.

He noted that geological investigations were particularly important for a project traversing different terrain, although such studies could be expensive and technically demanding.

He, however, explained that it was not unusual for construction projects to encounter unforeseen difficulties even after initial studies had been completed, making flexibility and the availability of alternative engineering solutions essential.

Abbas, who is a former NSE chairman, Abeokuta Ogun State, said such challenges did not necessarily mean a project could not proceed, as engineers could explore alternative designs and construction methods to address problems encountered along the route.

He indicated that rerouting could be one of the options available where the original alignment proved unsuitable, provided the alternative remained technically feasible and connected to the wider transport network.

Expert backs inland route

On his part, a transportation safety analyst, Patrick Adenusi, said the proposed diversion to an inland route could reduce construction costs, stimulate economic activities in towns and villages, and improve emergency response.

The safety advocate said it was difficult to determine whether adequate feasibility studies had been conducted before the original route was selected, but maintained that such assessments should ordinarily precede major infrastructure projects.

He acknowledged that moving the road inland could lower construction costs while improving access to communities along the alternative corridor.