This N5bn Abuja bridge wastes valuable man-hours daily

Ahmed Salisu, a civil engineer who works in Garki ll and lives in Mararaba, lamented that “The pain of coming back from work has become unbearable just as it is equally difficult going to work. Everyday, you have to struggle to get vehicles to take you to town and when coming back from work, it […]

Ahmed Salisu, a civil engineer who works in Garki ll and lives in Mararaba, lamented that “The pain of coming back from work has become unbearable just as it is equally difficult going to work. Everyday, you have to struggle to get vehicles to take you to town and when coming back from work, it is the same scenario. due to heavy traffic jam The construction of a bridge across the road along the Abacha Barracks is not helping matters because, it simply adds to the problem.”

The traffic snarl  caused by the construction of the bridge, according to findings by Sunday Trust, most times, start between 4.30pm and 5.00pm and would stretch up to eight or nine kilometers from all sides, whether from Asokoro, Power House or Niger Barracks and ends after Mogadishu cantonment where the bridge is being constructed.

FCT Minister, Senator Adamu Aliero recently  revealed that his administration awarded the contract for the construction of the fly-over bridge and other Channelization works in the sum of N4,986,626,165.25 (four billion, nine hundred and eighty six million, twenty five kobo) to Setraco Nigeria Limited with a completion period of 18 months.

The one year and six months work at the construction site which is barely few weeks old has started taking toll on the residents of Nyanya and its environs working in the FCT.

After closing from their offices, innocent Nigerians who could not get vehicle have no other option than to trek a distance of 12, 14 or 15 kilometers before getting to their various homes.

Another resident, Paul Adegoke explained that “The new dimension to the traffic problem is the new bridge under construction while the old one being handled by Dantata & Sawoe is still yet to be completed.”

Abraham Uket who lives in Nyayan and works in Jabi also explained that “these days, it is a common thing at the bus stop now to see people running and scrambling whenever a bus or cab stops and the competition to enter the bus or cab is so intense that if one does not have the power to withstand the push and tug one would find him/herself being trampled upon. It is the survival of the fittest at every bus stop loading Nyanya, Mararaba and other satellite towns along the Abuja-Keffi road.”

Commercial buses and cabs, according to Ukeh, are presently having a field day, taking advantage of the situation to charge passengers exorbitant fares, as they are fully aware of the situation that the passengers do not have other options than to comply with the prices charged by them.

“The fare since the beginning of this problem has quadrupled. Area 11 to Nyanya and Mararaba which used to cost N70 or N80 depending on the type of vehicle whether bus or cab has been increased to N120, while those coming from Wuse are made to part with N200,” he said.

While lamenting his ordeals, Razak Ibrahim, a commuter who plies the road said that “government should tell the contractor handling the project to do something about it by providing another road so as to reduce the burden of holdups on the road they provided since the construction commenced, it is good that the bumps initially put on the road were removed but that is not enough as something ought to be done immediately.”

However, FCT Minister, Senator Adamu Aliero, through his media aide, Abdullahi Zuru has urged residents to be patient while the construction work lasts as it is an effort targeted at bringing lasting solution to traffic problems along that axis of the city.

Aliero who called for patience at the foundation laying ceremony of Sunrise Hills Estate, a Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiative of the FCT administration, assured the residents that the hardship experienced would soon be a thing of the past.

He said “The problem will soon be a thing of the past because after the completion of the flyover, at Sunrise Hills Estate and also the Mogadishu cantonment, the traffic bottle neck will reduce significantly and motorists will move with a lot of ease.

“Let them be patient. We are doing everything possible to solve that problem. The construction period will be about 18 months and so far, they have spent about three months. So everything will be over in the next one year”.