The Federal Government yesterday, threatened to shut the Lagos section of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway in two weeks if motorists and other road users fail to comply with safety measures and improve the conditions along the route.
The Federal Controller of Works in Lagos State, Olufemi Dare, issued the warning on Monday during an inspection of the highway, citing persistent safety violations, vandalism and other illegal activities.
Dare said the directive followed concerns raised by the Minister of Works, David Umahi, over the deteriorating safety situation on the road.
“Within two weeks, if there’s no improvement on all these issues, then we have no option than to come back and shut down this road,” he said.
According to the controller, the government has the Lekki-Epe Expressway as an alternative route. He noted that the coastal highway remains under construction and would ordinarily not have been opened to traffic before the completion of its bridges.
The Lagos section of the highway is divided into two sections spanning approximately 103 kilometres. Section 1 covers about 47 kilometres, while Section 2 stretches for approximately 56 kilometres.
Dare said there are 20 major bridges across the two sections, with 10 bridges in each section, several of which are still under construction.
He expressed concern over motorists exceeding the prescribed speed limit, noting that some drivers travel at speeds as high as 120 kilometres per hour despite ongoing construction activities.
“We have said your speed on the coastal road must not be more than 30 kilometres per hour,” he said.
Dare also warned that lives were being lost on the highway “almost every other day”, stressing that the government could no longer allow the situation to continue.
Security and Traffic Violations
The controller warned articulated vehicle operators against parking trucks and trailers along the highway, saying some drivers had turned portions of the road into temporary parking areas.
He also disclosed that the government had reached an agreement with the Lagos State Police Command to increase police presence along the route.
According to Dare, the increased deployment followed meetings between Umahi and the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Tijani.
“Beginning from this morning, we’ve started to see the improvement in deployment of police. And we are going to have more,” he said.
Dare further warned motorists against making illegal U-turns along the highway, saying offenders would be prosecuted.
He added that the use of Okada motorcycles and tricycles, hawking and animal grazing had been prohibited along the coastal road.
“We don’t want Okada motorcycles, tricycles. We don’t want them on the coastal road,” he said.
Authorities will also move against people living in shanties and other illegal structures along the highway.
Vandalism of Safety Infrastructure
Dare identified vandalism of road safety infrastructure as another major challenge, saying parts of the protective fencing and other installations were being removed at night.
He said about five kilometres of ClearVu fencing had been removed, while approximately 18 kilometres of concrete covers had also been vandalised and taken away.
“They come in the night, they remove the ClearVu fence that was used to barricade the communities from the coastal highway,” he said.
In response, the government is considering replacing the steel ClearVu fencing with concrete barriers in areas considered particularly vulnerable to vandalism.
“We have to change the strategy,” Dare said, noting that areas protected with blockwork had not experienced similar problems.
He added that authorities were also working on deploying CCTV cameras to strengthen surveillance along the highway.
Coastal Guards to Strengthen Surveillance
Dare disclosed that the government had approved the recruitment of 40 coastal guards for Section 1 of the highway, with four expected to be selected from each community along the route.
The guards will work alongside the police to provide community-level surveillance, while additional personnel are expected to be recruited for Section 2.
Dare said some previously engaged coastal guards had been attacked by vandals, making stronger police protection necessary.
He added that the government planned to reorganise and train the coastal guards under the direct supervision of the Lagos State Police Command.
The Federal Government’s two-week ultimatum is therefore aimed at improving safety, curbing vandalism and enforcing traffic regulations along the Lagos section of the coastal highway before any decision is made to shut the route.
