Motorists will pay average of N3k toll on Lagos-Calabar road, says Umahi

The federal government says it plans to charge an average toll of N3,000 for vehicles plying the Lagos-Calabar coastal road upon completion.

David Umahi, minister of works, said this on ‘Morning Brief’, a programme on Channels Television, on Thursday.

“In fact, this section one which is the most viable economically, I estimated that you have about 50,000 vehicles per day and you pay average of N3,000 and you have two points within this 47km, you will net off the cost of this project within 15 years,” Umahi said.

“I put N3,000 as an average cost. N3,000 because the cars could be like N1,500, and the big trucks could be like N5,000. So, we put an average.”

He added that there will be security at the toll gates and facilities like filling stations and parking lots.

“At every point of tolling, we also have toll station where we have relief activities: the restaurants, filling stations, parking lots, and so on and so forth,” he added.

“So, people will now have confidence. In these sections, we intend to put CCTV cameras all through.”

Umahi said despite the skyrocketing cost of materials in the construction industry caused by inflation and supply chain disruptions, the President Bola Tinubu administration is committed to prudence, cost-effectiveness, speedy and quality delivery of road projects.

Umahi’s disclosure comes days after Atiku Abubukar, former vice-president, criticised the Tinubu administration for the perceived opacity around the project.

On April 10, Umahi countered Abubakar’s claim, saying the Lagos-Calabar highway costs N4 billion per kilometre.