Collapsed bridge on Enugu-Port Harcourt road now motor park, market amid delay in reconstruction

ARINZE CHIJIOKE visits the collapsed bridge along the Enugu-Port Harcourt expressway, and discovers how traders and commercial drivers have taken over the road, while commuters suffer the hardship as government delays in reconstructing the collapsed bridge.

Following the delay in the reconstruction of the collapsed New Artisan bridge along the Enugu-Portharcourt expressway, bus drivers and tricycle riders have transformed one of the lanes into a motor park.

Traders, particularly food sellers have also turned the location into a mini market.

One of the lanes on the bridge- which is a major gateway to the South-East and the South-South collapsed on the morning of September 25, leaving several commuters stranded. Thankfully, no life was lost.

Findings show that the bridge was constructed over 40 years ago.

After the collapse, the road was barricaded and commuters were asked to use Nza Street through New Haven or ply Ogui Road and Abakaliki Road to their various destinations, while the authorities came up with measures for immediate repair of the failed section of the bridge.

It has been more than a month since the flyover collapsed. Yet, there are no signs that the government, either state or federal plans to begin reconstruction anytime soon.

Now, the lane- which is still in good condition, is being used as a motor park and a mini market. As soon as commercial bus drivers and tricycle riders get to the location, their passengers alight and cross over the barricade on foot, and then take another transport means to their destinations.

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Road users who spoke to this reporter said that the condition of the road has increased transport fares as they are having to pay two times the amount they used to pay when the bridge was in good condition.

“Wherever you are going to, you will first stop at the bridge and then cross over to be able to take another transportation”, said Anthony Uzo, a road user.

He called on both the Federal and State governments as a matter of urgency, to look into the reconstruction of the bridge to ease transportation and economic activities in the state.

The collapse of the bridge means that trucks travelling to the South-East and the South-South from the Northern part of the country now have to depend on Internal roads in the state and it is feared that these roads might soon begin to fail.

Transporters who ply the route, usually from the Garki market area also complained about the fact that the condition of the road is slowing down the pace of work as they now have to wait for passengers to come from different locations for their vehicles to be filled.

FG assured of immediate reconstruction

Two days after the collapse of the bridge, the Minister of Works, Engr. Dave Umahi visited the location on an inspection in the company of Governor Mbah where he assured of its immediate reconstruction.

Umahi was quoted as saying that he had sent the man in charge of bridge design and construction and the Director of the Federal Ministry of Works in charge of the South East to carry out a review on the road.

He blamed the bridge’s collapse on eroded abutment and age, having been constructed in 1978. He said that the government will also look at the second bridge and see how far remedial work could be done on it so it can be used while the collapse lane is reconstructed.

“And we are going to scale up the reconstruction of the two bridges,” he said.

Recall that during his visit to the scene of the collapse in September, Enugu State governor, Peter Mbah also urged the federal government to consider a concession of all the federal roads in each state to the state governments for proper maintenance in conjunction with the private sector.

The governor also stressed the need for a new road maintenance model to guarantee better condition and longevity of Nigerian roads, regretting that the current model had failed woefully.

“We are fortunate enough that no life was lost, but this could have been prevented entirely,” he said. “But the bridge collapse didn’t just happen, these threats could have been identified if we had routine or regular maintenance”, he noted.

By Arinze Chijioke

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