By Stanley Onyekwere
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, on Thursday conducted a final, hands-on inspection of the newly completed road linking the Airport Expressway to Kuje Road, declaring the infrastructure fully primed for official commissioning.
The high-profile oversight visit was aimed at ensuring that the engineering firm delivered on strict structural specifications and safety standards before the tracking project opens to public traffic.
Walking sections of the newly asphalted corridor himself, Minister Wike scrutinized the alignment, drainage networks, and street lighting installations.
Speaking to journalists recenttly at the site, the Minister expressed satisfaction with the quality of the finish, noting that the project represents another milestone in the administration’s aggressive drive to dismantle gridlock and connect satellite towns to the city center.
”We are here to see for ourselves that the project is 100% ready,” Wike stated during the tour.
“This isn’t just about cutting ribbons; it’s about ensuring value for money and making sure that when we say a road is ready for the use of FCT residents, it is durable, safe, and built to international standards.”
The Airport Expressway-to-Kuje link has long been eyed as a strategic bypass. For years, commuters traveling between the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport axis and the rapidly growing Kuje Area Council faced grueling delays through choked alternative routes.
The completion of this project is expected to slash commute times -cut travel times between Kuje and the airport route by more than half, boost local commerce – enhance the movement of agricultural goods and services from the agricultural hubs of Kuje into the metropolitan core, and
spur real estate growth – open up new economic corridors for organized real estate development along the suburban fringe.
FCT administration officials confirmed that with the Minister’s final sign-off today, an official commissioning date will be announced in the coming days, marking the formal handover of the highway to the public.
