Soludo creates Anambra’s own Beltway

With the recently awarded dualization contract for the Ekwulobia – Nnobi highway in Anambra State, the Chukwuma Soludo-led administration has successfully created Anambra’s own Beltway, which links the state’s major nerve centers – Awka, Onitsha, Nnewi and Ekwulobia – with dual carriage roadways forming an encircling ‘’belt’’ as it is with the Washington D.C. Beltway in America. The Governor Soludo-led administration is on the verge of completing the dual carriageways linking Awka to Ekwulobia and that linking the Agulu-Nnobi -Nnewi axis to Onitsha through the A6 Highway. (The Federal Government’s A232 Highway already connects Awka to Onitsha).

This strategic linkage of the 4 major cities with connecting superhighways is an intentional and deliberate strategy to catapult the economy of Anambra State by the Governor Soludo-led administration. The Washington D.C. Beltway in America – i.e. the Interstate 495, a 103km highway encircling America’s capital and forming a ‘’belt’’ around the city – has a massive impact on the economy of Washington and even the region known as the East Coast in America. This highway passes through both Maryland and Virginia, serving as a crucial transportation link and economic artery for the Washington metropolitan area. (Because of this highway, the famous term “Inside the Beltway” is often used to refer to the city of Washington and its immediate surroundings – i.e. areas enclosed by the encircling ‘’belt’’).

The economic benefits of Anambra’s Beltway are broad and significant. It is intended to support commerce, regional integration, job access and enhanced connectivity.

In America, the Washington D.C. Beltway links suburbs and urban cores. The D.C. Beltway connects suburbs in Maryland and Virgina to Washington. This facilitates movement of workers, goods and services. Anambra’s own Beltway has the same effect. It will seamlessly connect suburbs to the four major cities in the State, which are the economic nerve centers of Anambra. A civil servant living in a suburb town of Agulu, for example, can easily commute to work, in Awka, within 15 minutes.

The Washington D.C. Beltway was a significant boost in the real estate market and property values in areas within America’s Beltway axis, due to their improved accessibility to Washington D.C. For example, cities like Tysons Corner and Rockville evolved into major employment centers partly due to the Beltway access. This effect is being experienced in Anambra. Property values in suburbs which have access to the massive road revolution network in Anambra have seen their prices skyrocket and real estate investments booming in suburb towns. Thus, making communities wealthier.

The Washington D.C. Beltway helps to improve the quality of life of commuters and create wider access for businesses. The D.C. Beltway helps people reach jobs across state lines – i.e. Maryland to Virginia – without needing to go through Central D.C. The same is the case in Anambra. With Anambra’s Beltway, a commuter in the State’s capital, Awka, can access Nnewi – the industrial hub of the South East – in minutes.

In America, the Beltway connects other major highways and arteries – i.e. I-95, I-270 and I-66. This makes it a key transportation route for freight movement within the East Coast. The same applies to Anambra’s Beltway. The major dualized roads linking the four major cities connects hundreds of artery roads to smaller towns (these artery roads are also being aggressively constructed). This would massively aid the movement of freights from major cities like Onitsha and Nnewi to the hinterlands.

Anambra’s Beltway would have significant impact on tourism. For example, fun seekers from Asaba, Onitsha, Nnewi or Ekwulobia would be able to access the recently commissioned world-class Solution Fun City in Awka within minutes. Anambra’s Beltway will help boost retail and consumer spending in the hinterland, i.e. in suburbs connected to this huge transportation network.

Apart from obvious benefits of Anambra’s Beltway which spans across sectors such as regional trade and travel, real estate development, employment access, freight and logistic movement, tourism, there are also some health and safety benefits. For example, this Beltway would allow for easy and fast evacuation of people in emergency situations. (However, nobody prays for any emergency situation of any kind!).

These are deliberate efforts to make Anambra a modern and efficient State as its population grows. The vision to make Anambra a smart mega city is on course. Anambra is on the rise!

Nwankwo is the special adviser on special projects to Soludo