Umahi Says Concrete Pavement, New Bridges And East-West Dualisation Part Of Renewed Hope Agenda
President Bola Tinubu has approved the extension of the Fourth Legacy Highway by an additional 400 kilometres, increasing the length of the strategic road corridor from about 700 kilometres to approximately 1,100 kilometres, the Minister of Works, David Umahi, announced on Thursday.
The minister also disclosed that the President approved the reconstruction of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway with reinforced concrete pavement. He said the decision followed repeated failures of the asphalt road less than five years after rehabilitation.
Umahi said the approvals also include the completion of the abandoned Ibi Bridge in Taraba State, the construction of the 5.76-kilometre Lau Bridge across the Benue River, and the dualisation of an additional 400 kilometres of the East-West Road.
Speaking during a media briefing in Abuja, Umahi described the approvals as another milestone in the Federal Government’s infrastructure renewal programme. He said the projects would improve national integration, boost economic activities, and strengthen regional connectivity.
Speaking on the expansion, Umahi said, “The greatest story is that yesterday, President Bola Tinubu approved the addition of 400 kilometres to our Fourth Legacy Road. That is unprecedented.”
He explained that the new extension would take the highway through Taraba State, linking the North-Central and North-East. “That project will pass through the place of General Gowon. It will pass through the place of Solomon Lar. It will pass through the place of the present National Chairman of the APC. It goes down to Taraba, and that is unprecedented.”
The highway originally linked Akwanga in Nasarawa State with Maiduguri through Plateau, Bauchi, Gombe, and Biu.
On the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Umahi said, “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.”
“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 added, “The answer is to reconstruct it using reinforced concrete pavement that will last between 50 and 100 years, maintenance-free.”
Umahi disclosed that President Tinubu approved the completion of the abandoned Ibi Bridge project in Taraba State. “That bridge was awarded in 2018, got to about 40 per cent completion and was abandoned. Yesterday, the President approved the review and completion of the Ibi Bridge in Taraba State.”
He also announced approval for the construction of the 5.76-kilometre Lau Bridge. “The Lau Bridge in Taraba State, which is 5.76 kilometres across the river, the President approved that it should be designed, procured, and awarded.”
The minister said the President equally approved the dualisation of another 400 kilometres of the East-West Road corridor. “The President also approved 400 kilometres of dualised East-West Road running from Lokoja down to Benin. This is another very important intervention in our road infrastructure,” he stated.
In another announcement, Umahi said the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway would henceforth be known as the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Coastal Highway. “That highway is named President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Coastal Highway. By the powers conferred on me as Minister of Works… we decided to name it after him because of his dream for it.”
He recalled that Tinubu conceived the idea more than 27 years ago as Governor of Lagos State.
Providing updates, Umahi said work is progressing on Section One of the coastal highway from Victoria Island to Eleko Village, with Section Two at about 60 per cent. Sections in Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Ogun, and Ondo are also advancing.
He also spoke on the Sokoto-Badagry Super Highway and the Trans-Saharan Highway, saying both would cut travel time and improve connectivity across regions.
Since assuming office in May 2023, the Tinubu administration has prioritised large-scale road infrastructure under the Renewed Hope Agenda, with the Ministry of Works adopting reinforced concrete pavement for strategic highways for greater durability and lower maintenance costs.