Work is starting in Nigeria for the new coastal highway that will link Calabar in the South East, with Lagos in the South West. The first two stretches of the highway to be built will total 55km and be sections of the route in between Calabar, capital of Cross River State, and neighbouring Akwa Ibom State. The work is being carried out by contractor Hitech Construction Company. These stretches of the highway will also permit better access to Cameroon lying to the east, with the border road and crossing between the two nations having been improved previously.
The construction of the new coastal highway between the former capitals, Lagos and Calabar, will provide a fast connection linking the south of the country. This will also provide faster road access to Port Harcourt, to the west of Calabar, where Nigeria’s oil industry is centred.
However, the Federal Government says that the alignment for the coastal road will have to be amended in Ondo State, Delta State, Rivers State, Akwa Ibom State, and Bayelsa State. The aim of this alignment change will be to reduce the numbers of new bridges needing to be built. Changes made to the original route through Akwa Ibom State and Cross River State by moving the alignment northwards have cut the bridge construction work required by 90%.
With a new highway also being built to connect Lagos with Ivory Coast’s capital Abidjan that also runs through Ghana, Benin and Togo, these two projects will deliver a crucial new road connection improving transport right across West Africa. When complete, this will allow drivers to travel along a modern tolled highway between Abidjan in Ivory Coast and Cameroon, itself building a new highway linking its two largest cities, Doula and Yaounde.
