Lagos: The Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi, has confirmed that the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway will be tolled immediately after completion and inauguration, stressing that tolling is part of the contractual package with Hitech Construction Company Ltd.
Speaking during an inspection tour on Saturday, Umahi said the contractor must provide a programme for tolling infrastructure before April.
“I must emphasise that this road is going to be tolled, and by the contractor. It is part of the package. We cannot open it permanently to traffic and then begin talking about tolling,” he stated.
Umahi ruled out further budget increases despite challenges encountered during realignment.
He however disclosed that the project had already recorded an additional ₦170 billion in costs, arising from diversions to protect high-rise buildings, shore protection works, and the evacuation of refuse dumps that stretch several kilometres and reach depths of up to 15 metres.
He noted that Hitech must absorb these risks as part of its contribution to national development.
The Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway, one of Nigeria’s most ambitious infrastructure projects, is expected to transform connectivity along the southern corridor once completed, linking key economic hubs and boosting trade, tourism, and mobility.