Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi has revealed that construction of the Cross River Section of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road will kick off in August 2024.

Engr. Umahi stated this on Sunday in Calabar, the Cross River State capital during a stakeholders’ meeting on the proposed alignment for Section 3A- 38 km of the coastal road project.

The minister stated that arrangements have already been concluded for the construction to kick-start on the two sections of the road in Cross River State, with one section in Akwa Ibom State, simultaneously.

Engr. Umahi said, “After this stakeholders’ engagement, we get the design and start the procurement. We are very sure that in August construction will start in this state.

“I will not allow construction to start only from Akwa Ibom, but ensure that construction starts in three sections, two in Cross River and one in Akwa Ibom.

“The projects are going to have a rail track, we started with the tracks in the the middle in Section Two, but we have redesigned it to have the tracks by the side”.

Umahi also canvassed for the support of stakeholders in the state towards the success of the project.

Also speaking, Cross River State governor, Senator Bassey Otu who was represented by his deputy, Peter Odey, assured the minister of maximum cooperation of the state to ensure a hitch-free execution of the project.

In his remarks, the Surveyor General of the state, Mr Patrick Bassey, called for more sensitisation to ensure that no Certificate of Occupancy (CofO) is issued on the routes along the road.