Motorists plying the Asaba-Onitsha Expressway have been groaning over the deplorable condition of the ever-busy highway, especially at the Asaba axis.
For over a month, there had been gridlock on the highway, especially at the Asaba axis due to the failed portions of the road.
When South-South PUNCH visited the area on Tuesday, it observed a stretch of gridlock, which occurs daily, frustrating travellers and hindering them from arriving at their destination earlier than planned.
Several portions of the road has become dilapidated to the extent that travellers are held up at different locations for hours in the owing to the gridlock.
The failed portions include Bonsac by Ezenei junction, Okwe General Hospital by Abraka junction, and Summit area, among others.
Most of the drivers, especially travellers from Abuja, Lagos and Benin were stranded while trying to navigate through inside town to en route Onitsha, but still got trapped before Asaba toll gate due to the failed portions.
Narrating his ordeal, a commercial driver, simply identified as Agu, told our correspondent that he was trapped in the gridlock for over five hours before he could navigate his way out of the failed sections of the road.
He said, “This traffic gridlock started as earlier as 6am till night every day, in most cases, you come out the next morning, the traffic is still there. Some will spend two day before getting to Onitsha.”
Agu appealed to relevant government authorities to rehabilitate the failed portions of the road to “save travellers along this corridor from undue hardship.”
When contacted, the Federal Controller of Works, Delta State, Mr Ogar, said that the entire stretch of the road is under contract.
He said, “We are aware of the plight of the motorists, the entire stretch of that road is on contract, but the contractor started work at the boundary between Delta and Edo states.
“I have drawn the contractor’s attention to the portions, very soon, we will start fixing the failed spots in Asaba, especially, the Summit area, Ezenei and the Abraka area.
“As I speak to you now, I’m in Abakiliki for National Council of Works meeting; when I come back I will mount pressure on the contractor to move to the failed areas.”