Lagos-Ibadan expressway: The approval also extends the Fourth Legacy Highway by 400 kilometres and revives the stalled Ibi bridge project in Taraba

President Bola Tinubu has approved the reconstruction of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway with reinforced concrete pavement, Minister of Works David Umahi announced on Thursday during a media briefing in Abuja.

Umahi said the decision vindicates the ministry’s preference for reinforced concrete pavement over asphalt on major highways to ensure durability.

“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,” he said.

Why the Lagos-Ibadan expressway needs reconstruction

The minister said the existing asphalt pavement has repeatedly failed despite maintenance works, even though the road is not yet five years old.

“It is 135 kilometres by two carriageways. That project is not up to five years old, yet it has already started failing,” he said.

“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. The answer is to reconstruct it using reinforced concrete pavement that will last between 50 and 100 years, maintenance-free.”

Umahi said the two carriageways of the expressway were originally completed by two separate construction companies, and that repeated rehabilitation efforts on the failing sections had not resolved the underlying problem, reinforcing the ministry’s argument that concrete, rather than asphalt, is the more durable long-term solution for Nigeria’s heavy-traffic corridors.

Other road projects approved alongside the Lagos-Ibadan expressway

Umahi said Tinubu also approved the extension of the Fourth Legacy Highway by an additional 400 kilometres, increasing the strategic road corridor from about 700 kilometres to approximately 1,100 kilometres. The Fourth Legacy Project originally connects Akwanga in Nasarawa State to Maiduguri in Borno State via Jos, Bauchi, Gombe and Biu. The new extension will pass through Taraba State, strengthening links between the North-Central and North-East.

“The greatest story is that yesterday, President Bola Tinubu approved the addition of 400 kilometres to our Fourth Legacy road. That is unprecedented,” Umahi said.

The minister said the president also approved the completion of the abandoned Ibi bridge project in Taraba State, which was awarded in 2018 but stalled after reaching about 40 per cent completion.

“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 said.

Umahi also announced approval for the construction of the 5.76-kilometre Lau bridge across the Benue River.

“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,” he said.

He further disclosed the dualisation of another 400 kilometres of the East-West road corridor from Lokoja to Benin.

“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 said.

Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway renamed after Tinubu

Speaking at the same briefing, Umahi disclosed that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, a 750-kilometre project, has been officially renamed the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Coastal Highway.

He said the decision was taken by the powers conferred on him as Minister of Works, in consultation with the ministry’s permanent secretary, minister of state and senior directors, describing it as a tribute to the president’s vision for the project.

He cited Section 1 of the highway, a 47.47-kilometre stretch featuring a dual carriageway with a 25-metre rail track running through the centre, as a standout achievement of the project so far.

Umahi said the combined package of road approvals, totalling roughly 800 additional kilometres across the Fourth Legacy Highway and East-West road alone, would improve national connectivity, facilitate trade and strengthen Nigeria’s road infrastructure across multiple regions.