The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects in Nigeria’s recent history, is gradually taking shape along the country’s southern shoreline.

Spanning nine coastal states that include Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River, the 700-kilometre highway is being developed under an EPC+F (Engineering, Procurement, Construction plus Financing) model.

Hitech Construction Limited is the principal contractor, with approximately 30 per cent of funding provided by the Federal Government and the rest sourced from private and international financiers.

Its completion, the Federal Government says, will herald a new era of economic opportunity by opening up trade, tourism and logistics across the Atlantic corridor.

The project was officially inaugurated on May 26, 2024, by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Lagos. The first 30‑kilometre stretch from Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island to Eleko Village on the Lekki Peninsula was inaugurated between May 26 and 31, 2025. It marked a significant milestone in the administration’s infrastructure push under the Renewed Hope Agenda.

In the early morning hush of Victoria Island, President Tinubu stepped forward with purpose, inaugurating what he described as “Nigeria’s most ambitious infrastructure project in decades.” The flag off, attended by the Minister of Works, David Umahi, state governors and senior government officials, was a showcase of optimism. Tinubu hailed the highway as more than a road: “a symbol of hope, unity and prosperity for our people.” He compared its potential impact to international coastal corridors, predicting that it could generate billions in future trade, logistics and tourism.

The same day, President Tinubu also inaugurated complementary expressways linking interior states to the coastal belt. These included the Sokoto–Badagry route and other major corridors designed to support cross-border trade and regional integration.

Hitech’s Project Director, George Clinton highlighted the use of innovative rigid concrete pavement, which offers longer lifespan and reduced maintenance. The road is being built using 11-inch thick concrete slabs, reinforced with 20mm rebar, and laid over a stabilised sub-base to withstand the weight of heavy trucks and high traffic volume, especially crucial for coastal weather conditions and saline environments.

Umahi emphasised that all materials, including cement and steel, would be sourced locally, providing a boost to local industry and employment. Special engineering measures, such as geotextile stabilisation, deep trench sand-filling and pile-supported bridges, were being adopted to navigate swampy terrain and waterlogged soils typical along the Atlantic corridor.

At the inaugural ceremony, the minister projected that the highway would give over 30 million Nigerians better access to economic opportunities, reduce travel time and strengthen national unity by bridging the gap between Southwest and Southsouth communities.

However, the inauguration was not without controversy. Hundreds of buildings were marked for demolition along the path of the road’s right of way. Early estimates suggested more than 750 homes and business premises had already been affected in the Lagos corridor alone. In response, the government pledged a fair compensation programme and encouraged affected parties to see the project’s long-term national value.

By May 31, 2025, the first section of the highway had reached completion and was officially inaugurated. Though only 30 kilometres long, it symbolised the administration’s commitment to pushing forward with the Renewed Hope Agenda, a cornerstone of the Tinubu presidency.

On June 12, 2025, we set out to experience the new highway firsthand, driving from Kilometre Zero with the goal of reaching Kilometre 30. What we encountered was an impressive, yet incomplete corridor, part of it stunning in design and finish, others still mired in construction, waiting to catch up with the vision.

The drive began on a high note. From the Victoria Island entry point, the highway unfolds in clean, wide lanes, a three-lane dual carriageway, expanding to four lanes in some segments. Made of concrete, the road was firm under the tires and smooth to navigate. Streetlights stood neatly spaced. Drainage channels were in place. The Atlantic Ocean sparkled to our right, lending the entire route an almost cinematic charm.

For those first several kilometres, it didn’t just feel like new infrastructure. It felt like the beginning of something transformative. You could imagine one day cruising from Lagos to Calabar without a single pothole or traffic choke point, just the sea breeze and open road.

But progress has its interruptions. Around Jakande, the carriageway bound for Victoria Island was incomplete, stretching as an unpaved strip of dry ground for hundreds of metres. Traffic was diverted to the completed outbound side, with barriers guiding the way.

A bridge, its skeletal frame of rebar and formwork rising across the coastal landscape, stood as a promise of future connectivity but was, for now, impassable. Construction workers in reflective vests moved around the site, guiding machinery and hauling materials as the structure gradually took shape.

In the absence of a completed bridge or full pavement, vehicles, commercial buses, private cars and even trucks were diverted onto a temporary access path carved through the sands. This detour, engineered with layers of compacted laterite and stabilised with periodic grading, had been shaped to allow continued access through the corridor.

Road signs and concrete barriers guided traffic in both directions, but the dust churned by passing tyres lingered in the air like a reminder of how much remained to be done.

At Kilometre 15, the character of the road changed completely. The concrete surface gave way to loose sand. Though activity was limited due to the public holiday, the signs of ongoing work were all around – sand piles, demarcated pathways and sections of reclaimed land waiting for further treatment. The terrain looked tamed but not yet conquered.

Here, a site engineer who identified himself simply as Okey, was supervising the extension of the pavement base, a crucial phase in the construction of the highway’s substructure.

“This area looks calmer, but there’s still a lot of coordination involved. The goal is to meet the target date set by the government. We’re confident we’ll meet it, provided weather conditions remain favourable,” he said.

At this section, construction teams were completing the sub-base and base course layers of the roadway, two essential strata that ensure the longevity and structural integrity of the pavement.

According to Engineer Okey, granular sub-base (GSB) material had been compacted to design thickness, followed by the placement of a cement-stabilised base (CSB), a layer mixed with a calculated percentage of cement to enhance load-bearing capacity and prevent sub-grade failure.

“We’re also installing geotextile layers in select portions to improve soil reinforcement and prevent moisture infiltration from the swampy sub-soil beneath,” he added.

He noted that precision is critical at this stage. “Once the base course is completed and cured, we begin the pavement slab casting using dowel bars and expansion joints in line with standard concrete pavement design. This is what gives the highway its durability under heavy axle loads,” he further explained.

Further along, near the Ogombo area, the road came to an abrupt stop. The surface ended at a swampy expanse a soggy terrain that swallowed all traces of pavement. Here, according to a member of staff, was Kilometre 22, work was still at the earliest phase, according to one of the project engineers involved in the soil excavation efforts.

Dressed in a reflective vest, he explained that sand-filling and soil testing were underway to stabilise the swamp so construction could link up with crews working inward from kilometre 30. It was a demanding stretch, and clearly one of the most challenging parts of the project.

“This terrain is tricky,” said the Engineer (who didn’t want his name in print because he is not authorised to speak on the project), who has been stationed at the Ogombo segment since April.

“But our geotechnical assessments have given us a path forward. We’re laying the groundwork to ensure it meets structural safety standards. We’re on schedule, and the machinery is ready to scale up.”

While the engineers move sand and concrete in pursuit of a national dream, others are trying to rebuild their lives from the dust left behind.

Getting to Jakande area, there is Mrs Helen Alade, who once operated a successful car wash business just off the main road. Her property, like many others, was marked for demolition to make way for the highway. “I lost my shop in March of 2024. It was painful. But I’ve managed to rent a small space further down the street. Business is slow, but we manage,” she said.

Mrs Alade expressed cautious optimism about the project. “It affected me financially. But if this road brings the kind of development they’re talking about, then maybe it was worth the sacrifice.”

Michael Emeka, a trader whose electrical materials shop was dismantled at the start of the project lamented over the loss of his source of livelihood.

“It was my only source of income. I have since moved into a container shop nearby. Business is yet to bounce back, but I believe it will. This road will bring more people and, hopefully, more customers,” he said.

Another displaced business owner, Mama Ngozi, who now sells food out of a makeshift kiosk, told The Nation:

“Before the demolition, I had a proper place. Now I sell by the roadside. It’s tough, but I see that this project is bigger than just us. If it connects Nigeria better, then we just have to endure,” she said.

Their stories echo across the highway’s 30-kilometre stretch. These are stories of loss, adaptation and quiet resilience. Each voice, though scarred by disruption, carried a note of hope. These business owners see not just the bulldozers that took their shops, but the possibilities of a better tomorrow.

At that point, the road ended for now, having reached the edge of what was accessible. The drive home offered time to reflect.

The Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway is both a feat of engineering and a work in progress. From kilometre 0 to kilometre 15, it inspires confidence; a stretch of road that proves Nigeria can build big and build well. But from Jakande to Ogombo, the reality of ongoing construction and environmental challenge sets in.

Yet, despite the dust and delays, the vision is visible. The road may be incomplete, but it is no longer a dream. Each kilometre paved, each swamp reclaimed, each lane striped is a step toward connecting the country’s coastal spine.