The Federal Government has defended its decision to realign the Ondo section of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, saying the move was based on sound engineering considerations.

The Minister of Works, Sen. Dave Umahi, stated this in Abuja on Wednesday while providing an update on the Federal Government’s legacy road projects, particularly the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.

Umahi said the Ondo section had attracted petitions alleging that the project had been diverted, but insisted that the route was changed because of the difficult terrain.

“We have no regret for decisions taken at Ondo. For us, it is their right to write a petition; it is my right to take the right decision,” he said.

The minister explained that some parts of the original route contained pits more than 100 metres deep, with no defined sharp sand within 300 metres, making construction technically difficult and significantly more expensive.

He said the ministry consequently redesigned the route to avoid the difficult terrain, adding that filling work in the affected areas was almost completed.

According to him, the engineering intervention involved removing deep pits and filling them with sharp sand to create a stable foundation before road construction could proceed.

Umahi described the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway as President Bola Tinubu’s first legacy project, noting that it runs from Victoria Island in Lagos through Ogun, Ondo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River states.

He disclosed that Section One, covering 47.47 kilometres, had been completed and was ready for commissioning.

Section Two, covering 55 kilometres, he said, would have its pavement completed by November, while work on major flyovers, underpasses and overpasses would continue.

The minister attributed delays in some of the flyover projects to extensive subsoil investigations, redesigns and the need to accommodate heavy-duty trucks serving the Dangote Refinery.

He also disclosed that a major flyover had been redesigned to resolve conflicts involving the deep-sea port railway, refinery service routes and other road networks.

On Sections 4A and 4B, Umahi said the project covered 67 kilometres, comprising 27 kilometres in Ogun and about 40 kilometres in Ondo, with construction ongoing on the Ondo portion.

He said more than 30 per cent of the 65-kilometre Sections 3A and 3B had been completed, describing the route as significant because it connects existing roads and corridors.

Construction is also ongoing on Section Five in Akwa Ibom State, covering about 82 kilometres, he added.

Umahi said President Tinubu had approved the continuation of the coastal highway through the existing East-West Road rather than creating a new alignment from Ondo into Edo.

He said the decision would also help tackle flooding, as several sections of the East-West Road would be raised by about two metres above existing flood levels to account for flooding and the impact of climate change.

The minister further disclosed that the 45-kilometre Benin bypass would divert traffic away from the congested Benin City centre, reducing travel time and stimulating economic activity.

He said the 129-kilometre Delta section, stretching from the Edo-Delta boundary to the Delta-Bayelsa boundary, was undergoing route survey and procurement and was expected to commence by November, subject to the completion of due process.

Umahi said work was also progressing on other legacy projects, including the 1,068-kilometre Sokoto-Badagry Highway, the Trans-Sahara route and the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano road.

He said the Ilela section of the Sokoto-Badagry Highway was about 60 per cent completed despite security challenges, while the 258-kilometre Kebbi section and 62.35-kilometre Badagry section had recorded more than 40 per cent progress.

According to him, the legacy projects are structured as investment projects, with the Federal Government providing 30 per cent counterpart funding in naira and 70 per cent coming from external financing.

He added that returns would be generated through tolling and other investments along the corridors, including industrial, tourism, housing and agricultural developments.