The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has unveiled plans to implement toll fees along the completed Lagos-Calabar highway project. According to Umahi, motorists can expect an average toll charge of N3,000 per toll gate along the highway.
During an appearance on the program “The Morning Brief” on Channels Television, Umahi clarified that this toll rate was based on an estimated average passage of 50,000 vehicles per day.
He further explained that different vehicle types would incur varying charges.
Umahi projected that the toll revenue could recoup the project cost within 15 years, emphasizing the economic viability of the toll system.
“Let me leave out the infrastructure along the corridor. Let me just concentrate on the tolls and I put 50,000 vehicles as an average passage on these toll points per day.”
“I put N3,000 as an average cost. N3,000 because the cars could be like N1,500, and the big trucks could be like N5,000,” he said.
“So, we put an average.
“In 15 years, you make back the money,” he added, dismissing calls that the cost budgeted for the road was high.
According to him, there will be security at the toll gates and also some facilities like filling stations.
However, this move has sparked mixed reactions among motorists, with some expressing concerns about the financial burden it may impose on commuters.