Commuters in Lagos may have cause to smile as the Federal Government on Friday temporarily opened Section 1 of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway, measuring 47 kilometres and stretching from the Ahmadu Bello Way junction to Eleko village junction.

Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, announced the opening of the coastal road at an event attended by government officials, traditional rulers, and other key stakeholders.

He told the gathering in Lagos that the opening of the highway will bring ease to commuters and is expected to end the harrowing driving experience for road users in the Lekki-Ajah corridor.

With Section 1 of the mega road project now opened to traffic, Umahi said the Federal Government has fulfilled a promise to the people.

Last month, the works minister, during an inspection tour of the coastal highway project, assured that Section 1 would be completed and opened to traffic between December 12 and 17, 2025.

The former governor of Ebonyi State said April 2026 has been set aside to complete Section 1.

The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is a project expected to run through nine coastal states across the country.

It will start in Lagos and terminate in Cross River. The mega road project will also pass through Edo, Delta, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Ondo, Bayelsa, and Ogun states.

The Lagos-Calabar coastal highway has a projected full length of about 700km.

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved the construction of the coastal road in February 2024. Construction work began on the Lagos axis of the road the following month.

Two months later, specifically in May 2024, President Bola Tinubu flagged off the multimillion-naira project, which will cost N4bn per kilometre.

Umahi said in an April 2024 appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief that the road, which was a subject of controversy over its cost and the award of the contract, will be completed in eight years.

The demolition of some properties in the Lagos axis for the commencement of the project was also a subject of intense debate and controversy. But the Federal Government has defended the move. (Channels TV)