The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has unveiled the highlights of the Federal Government’s plans for the construction of 44 federal highways in the 2017 Budget.

This was disclosed in a press release by the Special Adviser on Communications to the Minister,
Hakeem Bello, on Saturday, July 29, 2017.
In the statement, after an inspection tour of roads in 34 states of the Federation by the Ministry, 63 roads have also been marked for emergency intervention.

The Minister noted that the road projects are spread out in such a way that no zone has been left out.

For the purpose of effective implementation, the Federal Government has classified the roads into Critical Economic Routes and Agricultural routes to include all roads traversing geopolitical zones, advancing trade and commerce across the states and leading to the ports as well as those passing through agricultural areas across the country.

The Minister went on to list the proposed priority highway projects slated in the 2017 Budget, including: Kano-Katsina Road (Phase 1: Kano Town at Dawanau Roundabout to Katsina State Border), Sokoto-Tambuwal-Jega-Yauri Road, Ilorin-Jebba-Mokwa-Bokani Road, Ilorin-Kabba-Obajana Road (Sections 1 & 11), Ibadan-Ilorin Road, Section11 (Oyo-Ogbomosho), Lagos-Shagamu-Ibadan Dual Carriageway, Sections 1&11 and Lagos-Otta Road.
Also included are: Apapa/Tincan Port, NNPC Depot (Atlas Cove) to Mile 2 Accessed Road, Apapa-Oshodi Road, Third Mainland Bridge, Apapa/Tincan Island Port – NNPC Depot Access Road, Benin-Ofosu-Ore Ajebandele-Shagamu Road, Obajana Junction-Benin Road Phase 2: (Sections i-iv), Sapele-Ewu Road Sections 1 & 11, Second Niger Bridge, Onitsha-Enugu Expressway (Amansea-Enugu State Border), Yenegoa Road Junction-Kolo-Otueke-Bayelsa Palm and Bodo-Bonny Road with Bridge.

Others are: Odukpani-Itu-(Spur Ididep-Itam)-Ikot Ekpene Federal Highway Sections 1 & 11, Ikom Bridge, Enugu-Port Harcourt Dual Carriageway Sections i-iv, Calabar-Ugep-Katsina Ala Road, Vandeikya-Obudu-Obudu Cattle Ranch Road, Oshegbudu-Oweto Road, Oju/Loko-Oweto Bridge with approach roads, Nassarawa-Loko Road, Abuja-Lokoja Road Sections I & IV, Suleja-Minna Road Section 11, Kaduna Eastern Bypass, Kano-Maiduguri Road Section I – IV, Hadejia-Nguru-Gashua-Bayamari Road and Kano Western Bypass.

According to the release, those listed as critical economic routes include Zaria-Kano Road, Abuja-Lokoja Road (Sections I-IV), Ilorin-Jebba-Bokani Road, Ibadan-Ilorin Road (Sections 1 & 11), Lagos-Shagamu-Ibadan Road (Sections 1 & 11), Benin-Ofosu-Ore-Ajebandele-Shagamu Road and Obajana-Benin Road (Sections I-IV).

Also in the list are Onitsha-Enugu Road (Section 1&11), Enugu-Port Harcourt Road (Sections I-IV), Calabar-Odukpani-Itu Road (Section 1), Calabar-Ugep-Katsina Ala Road (Sections 1 & 11), Alesi-Ugup (Iyamoyung-Ugup) Road, Ogoja (Mbok Junction) Abuochichie Road, Otukpo Township Road, Kano-Maiduguri Road (Sections I-V), Kaduna-Zaria Road and Kaduna-Katsina Road.

According to Fashola, roads that pass through agricultural areas across the country include Sokoto-Tambuwal-Jega-Kontangora-Makera Road (Sections 1 & 11), Makurdi-Naka-Ndoka-Ankpa Road, Akure-Ondo-Ore Road and Benin-Sapele Highway, Rubber Research Institute of Nigeria-Iyanomo Road.

Others are 9th Mile-Enugu-Port Harcourt Road, Abakaliki-Afikpo Road Sections 1 & 11, and 9th Mile-Oturkpo-Makurdi Road, Ogboko (Yandev Junction)-Katsina Ala (Ugbema Junction) Road, Wukari-Mutum Biyu-Jalingo-Numan Road, Section 1, Numan Jalingo Road, Gombe-Numan Road, Maiduguri-Dutse and Kano-Zaria Road.

The 63 roads that are marked for emergency repairs cut across the six geopolitical zones of the country and includes construction of bridge at KM 32 along Billiri Filiya in Taraba and the repair of Billiri-Filliya Road in Gombe, Potiskum-Agalda-Gombe State Border (S/B) and Potiskum-Kari-Bauchi S/B Road in Yobe State.

Also included in the list are Tella Road and Bridge 2 Abutment and Apawa-Junction-Zing-Adamawa (State Border) in Taraba State, Bauch-Darazo-Kari Road in Bauchi State, Numan-Lafia-Gombe State Border Road, Numan-Jalingo Road, Numan-Guyuk (Borno State Border) and Ngurore-Mayobelwa Road in Adamawa State, all in the North East.

In the North West, roads listed for emergency repairs include Birnin Gwari Road in Kaduna, Kebbi-Argungu-Sokoto (State Border) Road in Kebbi State, Gusau-Chafe-Katsina Road in Zamfara, Rimawa-Sabonbirnin-Niger Republic Road (Section 1), Rimawa-Sabonbirnin-Niger Republic Road (Section 2) and bridge embankment in Sokoto State, Gumel-Mallam Madori-Hadeija Road, Birnin Kudu and Babaldu-Malumuwa-Bauchi S/B Road, among others in Jigawa,Yayasa Bridge in Kano and Dusinma-Kankara Road in Katsina State.

Makurdi-Lafia Road and Makurdi-Gboko Road in Benue, Okene-Kabba Road and Kabba-Omuo Road in Kogi, Ajase-Offa-Erinle-Osun State Boundary Road in Kwara, Keffi Abuja Road and Keffi-Gittata-Kaduna S/b Road, Nassarawa-Toto-Abaji Road in Nassarawa and Jebba-Mokwa Road, Bida-Lapal-Lambata Road and Makera-Tegina Road in Niger State are listed for repairs in the North Central.

In the South West, roads listed for repairs include Ibillo-Isu-Epinmi-Akungba Road and Owo-Akure Road in Ondo, Ilesa-Ijebu-Ijesa Road, Ijebu-Ijesa-Ekiti S/B and Ibadan-Ile-Ife-Ilesa Road, Osun S/B-Ilesa in Osun, Ibadan-Ile-Ife-Ilesa Road in Oyo, Ijebu-Ode-Epe-Ibadan Road in Ogun and Ikorodu-Shagamu in Lagos,while in the South East, Abakaliki-Oferekpe Road in Ebonyi, Nsukka-Adani-Anambra S/B Road in Enugu State, Umuokpor section of Ikot Ekpene-Aba Road in Abia and Ihiala-Orlu-Umuduru Road, Owerri-Okigwe, among others make the list in the South East.

Roads that make the list in the South-South include Ikot Ekpene-Ikot Umoessien-Abia S/B Road in Akwa Ibom, Ebiama-Yenegoa Road in Bayelsa, Auchi-Igarra-Ibillo-Ose Bridge Road and Benin-Ofosu-Shagamu Road in Edo, Ebouchichie-Gakem Road in Cross River, Benin-Asaba Dual Carriageway, Asaba-Illa-Ebu-Edo S/B Road, Igbodo, Benin- Asaba Expressway and Warrri-Sapele-Edo S/b Road in Delta State among others.

Over 45 bridges, according to the list, are slated for rehabilitation over the next three years. They include two bridges along Sokoto-Gusau Road, Murtala Mohammed Bridge, Koton Karfe, River Ebba to Cheche Bridge, Jebba Bridge, 3rdMainland Bridge, nine Lagos Bridges and flyovers, Lagos Ring Road Bridge Abutment, Ijora 7-Up Bridge, Ijora-Apapa Bridge by Leventis and burnt Marine Bridge.

They also include Utor Bridge, Niger Bridge at Onitsha/Asaba, Onitsha-Owerri Bridge, Ibagwa Bridge, Ikom Bridge, Itigidi, Makurdi Bridge, Quata Sule Bridge, Katsina Ala Bridge, Buruku Bridge, Abuja-Abaji Bridge Section 11, Loko Owotu Bridge, Ibi Bridge, Kudzum Bridge, Gombe-Michika-Maraba Bridge, Gamboru Bridge, Katanko Bridge, Jaji Bridge, Borno/Adamawa State Border Bridge, Falani Bridge, Sumaila, Flyover Bridge at Silver Jubilee and Tambuwal Bridge

Pulseng