East-West Road Ready December, Assures Umahi

THE Minister of Works, Chief Dave Umahi, has assured that Phase Three of the East-West Road, a 15-kilometre, four-lane dual concrete section from Eleme to Onne in Rivers State, will be completed by December this year.
Umahi, speaking during a visit to ascertaing the progress of work on the road, promised that the Eleme axis would be open to the public in the next 10 days.
While stressing the importance of the road to the economy, especially its link to key industrial assets, the minister said it was redesigned with reinforced concrete for durability, adding: “This project is within a very serious economic corridor of Nigeria. We have a lot of facilities here. There’s petrochemical, the refinery, Indorama and a lot of other companies. So, this is very important. I am very happy with the quality of work being done.
“We’ve directed the contractor to wrap up this carriageway because it’s selected for inauguration in the next 10 days, and they have to do it day and night. I’m very confident that they’ll achieve it.”
He explained that certain sections of the road initially designed with flyovers and bridges would temporarily be completed with asphalt, but would have full structural installations in the dry season.
The minister stated: “The entire section will be opened. I know that there are some sections that we earmarked for flyovers and bridges. I’ve directed them to use asphalt to complete that until the dry season comes and we can re-engage on the flyover. And that has been isolated as a separate item of the work.
“By June 1, 2025, they’ll go back to Onne to continue with the Port Harcourt-bound section, doing exactly what they have done on the Eket-bound section.”
Commending President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his commitment to driving infrastructural development in the country, Umahi said: “He’s a man of great courage and he’s constructing roads. Before, Nigeria was building roads, but today, the President is constructing roads.
“It wasn’t easy, but with the determination of the President, the outcome is excellent. With the project’s quality and durability, it is going to last over 50 to 100 years without maintenance.
“The total value of the project is N156billion and it is 30 kilometres by four lanes. It has solar lights. We’re going to install CCTV, put tolling points and relief parks so that people don’t park on the road again. It’s going to be a beauty on earth when we finish.”