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Motorists and commuters were stranded yesterday after flooding and days of heavy rainfall caused a section of the East-West Road at Uvwiama/Orido Junction on the Agbarho-Ughelli axis in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State to collapse.
The damage left only one lane passable on the strategic highway linking Delta with Bayelsa and other parts of the South-South, forcing some motorists to take longer alternative routes.
Sources said the affected portion began to fail on Monday evening after a fuel tanker fell on the already weakened section of the road.
The situation deteriorated on Tuesday morning as persistent rainfall and rising floodwaters caused the entire lane to cave in.
As of 3 p.m. yesterday, efforts were still under way to evacuate the fallen tanker, while motorists and residents gathered around the failed section.
Policemen were deployed to control traffic and prevent the worsening gridlock from degenerating into chaos.
A stranded motorist who identified himself simply as Jacob urged the authorities to intervene urgently.
“We are seriously worried because only one lane is still passable, and traffic is already building up. If this remaining lane fails, this road will be completely cut off,” he said.
Another road user blamed the damage on inadequate drainage, saying the existing facilities could not cope with the volume of water generated by the prolonged rainfall.
“This water has nowhere to go. The drainage is not enough. Government needs to act quickly before we have a major disaster,” he said.
Residents also appealed to the Federal and Delta State governments to urgently assess and repair the failed portion, warning that continued pressure on the remaining lane could worsen the damage.
Vehicles heading towards Bayelsa and other parts of the South-South were diverted to longer routes, while motorists who remained on the highway were caught in heavy traffic.
A food vendor at the scene said a commercial motorcyclist narrowly escaped plunging into the floodwater around the damaged section on Tuesday afternoon.
The road failure came as flooding spread across several communities following torrential rainfall.
Agbarho, Oviri, Ovwiama and Uvwiamuge were among the communities submerged by floodwaters, while Oviri-Olomu, Okpare, Ogoni and Umolo in Ughelli South Local Government Area were also heavily affected.
Motorists were advised to exercise caution around the damaged section pending an assessment of the road and the restoration of safe passage.
