The Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi, has dismissed concerns over water retention observed on portions of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, assuring Nigerians that the project and other major legacy road projects of the Federal Government would be completed by 2031.
Umahi gave the assurance on Friday during an inspection tour of Sections One and Two of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway alongside members of the National Assembly to evaluate the progress of work on the project.
The minister was responding to complaints by some road users and critics regarding reports of flooding and potholes on parts of the highway corridor.
Addressing the concerns, Umahi explained that the water noticed along the median was linked to the project’s design provision for a future railway line.
According to him, the median section was specifically created to accommodate rail infrastructure.
“The median was designed for trains. What people are seeing there is about 25 metres wide, almost equivalent to another dual carriageway,” he said.
He explained that excavated portions within the median had been sand-filled, adding that although the railway component was expected to commence immediately, drainage channels would now be constructed to prevent water accumulation.
“The railway project has not started yet, so we have directed the contractor to create proper drainage within the median and connect it to the existing drainage network,” he added.
Umahi admitted that water had gathered in a few depressed sections of the highway but assured that corrective measures were already being implemented.
“Where there are slight depressions, water
