Tinubu Approves Reinforced Concrete Reconstruction of Lagos-Ibadan Road

President Bola Tinubu has approved the full reconstruction of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway using reinforced concrete pavement, following reports that sections of the road have failed just years after rehabilitation.

The Minister of Works, David Umahi, disclosed the approval during a media briefing in Abuja on Thursday, describing it as a major milestone in the Federal Government’s infrastructure renewal programme.

According to the minister, the 135-kilometre, dual-carriageway expressway has begun rapidly deteriorating despite previous repair works. “That project is not up to five years old, yet it has already started failing,” Umahi 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.”

Umahi explained that reinforced concrete pavement would provide a longer-lasting, more durable alternative to the asphalt currently used on the busy corridor. “The answer is to reconstruct it using reinforced concrete pavement that will last between 50 and 100 years, maintenance-free.”

The decision follows a recent Federal Executive Council approval of the full business case for the operation and maintenance of the expressway under a concession arrangement with Aspect Concession Limited.

Alongside the expressway project, President Tinubu approved a massive 400-kilometre extension of the Fourth Legacy Highway, increasing its total length from 700 kilometres to approximately 1,100 kilometres and pushing the corridor into Taraba State.

The President also greenlit the completion of the abandoned Ibi Bridge project in Taraba State, the construction of the 5.76-kilometre Lau Bridge, and the dualisation of an additional 400 kilometres of the East-West Road.

The Lagos-Ibadan Expressway is one of Nigeria’s busiest transport corridors, linking Lagos with the South-West and serving as a vital artery for passenger and freight traffic.

These new projects form part of the administration’s broader legacy road infrastructure agenda, which also includes the 750-kilometre President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Coastal Highway, the 1,068-kilometre Sokoto-Badagry Super Highway, the Trans-Sahara Highway, and the Akwanga-Maiduguri Highway.