A heavy rainfall that lasted for hours, accompanied by flooding has cut off half of a bridge in Akwanga town, which connects Nasarawa State to Plateau cum other states including Southeast.
This is coming barely forty eight hours after the same heavy rain washed away half of the bridge on the express way between Nasarawa Polytechnic, Bukan Sidi in Lafia, the state capital.
The collapsed bridge near Jinjin Hotel in the heart of Akwanga, is also used by motorists coming from Kaduna, Plateau, Bauchi, Gombe and others heading to Abuja.
Our correspondent who visited the scene, noticed that traffic have been diverted for heavy duty vehicles through some tiny street roads on A.A Koto and the one on Chun Mada lane, via Wamba bye-pass, while the remaining small portion is utilised by small vehicles and bikes.
When contacted on the development the District Head of Akwanga metropolis, Sir Anthony Yamusa, who described the collapsed bridge as a death trap called on the Nasarawa State Government and the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency FERMA to urgently reconstruct the bridge.
“It is unfortunate and painful that the bridge that connected the southern and northern parts of the country was partly washed away. This will not only affect peoples lives, but it will also affect economic and commercial activities”.
“It is in view of this that I want to appeal to the governor of Nasarawa State to collaborate with the Federal Government in order to reconstruct this bridge that has been washed away, immediately”.
Yamusa, called on FERMA to as a matter of urgency provide a temporary remedy that can ease the movement of people and goods while reconstructing the collapsed bridge.
He appealed to Governor Abdullahi Sule, and the Federal government to rescue the people Akwanga and other Nigerians, using the road.
COV/Aliyu Muraki