President Tinubu Approves Reconstruction Of Lagos-Ibadan Expressway Less Than Five Years After Rehabilitation

The Federal Government has approved the reconstruction of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway with reinforced concrete pavement, less than five years after sections of the highway began deteriorating following its rehabilitation.

The approval was announced on Thursday by the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, during a media briefing in Abuja.

Umahi said Tinubu also approved the extension of the Fourth Legacy Highway by an additional 400 kilometres, increasing its total length from about 700 kilometres to approximately 1,100 kilometres.

According to the minister, the latest approvals form part of the administration's infrastructure programme aimed at improving road connectivity, boosting economic activities and strengthening regional integration across the country.

Speaking on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Umahi said the decision to reconstruct the road vindicated the ministry's insistence on adopting reinforced concrete pavement for major highways.

"The President approved yesterday the reconstruction of the Lagos-Ibadan Road, and that is the justification for our fight for the use of reinforced concrete pavement," he said.

Umahi explained that the 135-kilometre dual carriageway had already begun failing despite being rehabilitated less than five years ago.

"It is 135 kilometres by two carriageways. That project is not up to five years old, yet it has already started failing. We took journalists there. We took members of the National Assembly there. You could see the road failing. They repaired it, and it still failed," he said.

He added that the reconstructed highway would use reinforced concrete pavement, which he said could last between 50 and 100 years with little or no maintenance.

On the Fourth Legacy Highway, Umahi said the additional 400 kilometres would extend the road corridor into Taraba State, improving connectivity between the North-Central and North-East regions.

"The greatest story is that yesterday, Tinubu approved the addition of 400 kilometres to our Fourth Legacy Road. That is unprecedented," the minister said.

Umahi also announced the approval for the completion of the abandoned Ibi Bridge project in Taraba State, which he said was awarded in 2018 but stalled after reaching about 40 per cent completion.

In addition, he disclosed that approval had been granted for the construction of the 5.76-kilometre Lau Bridge across the Benue River and the dualisation of another 400 kilometres of the East-West Road corridor from Lokoja to Benin.

The minister further revealed that the Ministry of Works had named the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway after Tinubu, saying the decision was taken in recognition of what he described as the President's long-standing vision for the project.

Providing updates on the ongoing highway projects, Umahi said construction was progressing across multiple sections of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the Sokoto-Badagry Super Highway and the Trans-Sahara Highway, which the Federal Government considers key legacy infrastructure projects aimed at improving transportation and economic development across Nigeria.