FG designs 1,000km Badagry- Sokoto Coastal Highway

• Promises facelift for Carter Bridge, others

FEDERAL Government has concluded arrangements to design 1,000 kilometres Badagry- Sokoto Coastal Highway, one of the national road intended to foster sustainable transportation system.

The government also promised to upgrade Carter Bridge and some other bridges same way it had done to Third Mainland Bridge.

Minister of Works, David Umahi, disclosed the plan for the Badagry- Sokoto Highway during an inspection visit to the KM 47 axis of the Lagos- Calabar Coastal

Highway project at Eleko, Lagos State, where the contractor was carrying out demolition around the KM 3 of the highway.

Umahi, accompanied by the Federal Controller of Works, Lagos State, Mrs O. Kesha, also revealed that he had received a directive from President Bola Tinubu to design the SokotoBadagry Highway to promote national road network.

He stated: “Mr President has also directed the ministry to start the immediate design of the highway. We’ve started the design. “

The minister expressed the need to realign the coastal highway around the axis of the Lekki Deep Sea Port at the point of KM 47 by constructing a flyover bridge across the Dangote/ Hitech concrete pavement to align with the economic values of the highway.

He commended Hitech Construction Nigeria Limited for the quality and speed of the job and hoped that with their capacity and track records, and the manifest political will of Mr President, the 700 km project would be completed within the eight years of the Renewed Hope administration of Mr President.

On the facelift for bridges, he said bridges across the country needed attention and that the Federal Government would ensure the attention was given. Umahi spoke on the bridges during a routine inspection of ongoing under deck projects at Ido Bridge, Carter Bridge and Third Mainland Bridge, being rehabilitated by Julius Berger.

He said: “I am here to see the project and we are happy with what we have seen and I promise to increase the pace of work against the incoming lagoon tide.”