Mr Mohammed Ahmed, Director of Information and Public Relations at the Ministry of Works, made this known during a tour of the project sites on Tuesday. He said the road serves as a vital corridor connecting the North Central and other northern regions to Abuja, while also forming part of the major route linking Lagos to other parts of the country.
Ahmed explained that the government redesigned the project from asphalt pavement to Continuous Reinforced Concrete Pavement (CRCP) to ensure greater durability and long-term serviceability.
“This government considered the strategic importance of this road and resolved that it must be completed once and for all. That is why it was redesigned to rigid concrete pavement to guarantee long-term serviceability,” he said.
Providing technical updates, the Engineer’s Representative, Chukwuma Kalu, disclosed that the project was divided into two lots. Section One includes a 40.5-kilometre dual carriageway CRCP stretch (81 kilometres total), a 17.3-kilometre asphalt section on the Kano–Zaria Road, and a 6.63-kilometre dual asphalt overlay in Kano State.
Kalu revealed that the 6.63-kilometre dual asphalt road leading to Kano Airport has been completed and fitted with streetlights. He added that the 17.3-kilometre asphalt section is about 80 per cent completed, while 60 kilometres of the 81-kilometre CRCP stretch have already been delivered.
He stated that 21 kilometres remain and expressed confidence that the entire section would be completed by the end of April, noting that construction work is ongoing around the clock to meet the deadline.
Also speaking, Senior Project Manager at Infiouest, Robert Turner, confirmed that overall progress on Section One stands at approximately 80 per cent.
Meanwhile, highlights of the tour included the inauguration of emergency intervention projects in Bwari and Lugbe.
The projects include limited rehabilitation of Child Care Trust Road and five adjoining roads in the FCT, as well as the construction of roads and drainages in flood-prone areas of CRD Lugbe, Winners Airport Road in Lugbe, and AMAC.
Inaugurating the projects on behalf of the Minister of Works, David Umahi, Ms Grace Ike, Chairperson of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), FCT Council, said the initiatives would ease congestion, reduce travel time, and create opportunities for economic development.