Some residents of Enugu on Wednesday, appealed to Federal and Enugu state governments to dualise Abakpa-Nike-Opi-Nsukka road to ease daily traffic gridluck on the road.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Abakpa-Nike-Opi-Nsukka road is the major transit route for vehicles from the northern part of the country to the South-East and South-South regions.
The appeal follows the deplorable nature of the Enugu-9thMile Corner-Nsukka Federal Highway as well as Enugu-9thMile Corner- Oji River-Awka-Onitsha Federal Highway.
Mr Kindness Jonah, Coordinator of Voice of the South-East, noted that dualising the road would relief residents of the current hardship of gridlock they faced on the road daily.
Jonah said that the road had in the past 10 years witnessed tremendous population growth and development in its adjoining communities, leading to more vehicles on the road.
“It will be a great relief to millions of Nigerians who are not even residents of the state using the road daily for their transit to other parts of the country.
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“So, on behalf of Nigerians, especially residents living along the stretch of the road, the Federal and State Government should expand it to contain the large traffic,’’ he said.
An indigene of Nsukka, Mr Sebastian Ugwu, said that the volume of vehicle on the road had outweighed its traffic-holding capacity.
Ugwu, a trader who shuttles from Nsukka to Enugu for daily farm produce supply on the road, said that situation of the road had started affecting businesses, adding that traders using the road to attend to their business concerns.
“Gridlock on the road is sure as day light, especially now that the raining season had set-in.
“The dualising the road will also help to enforce drivers/line discipline on the road. From experience, most times, commuters spend over an hour due to recklessness of some drivers compounding the gridlock situation,’’ he said.
A resident of Abakpa, Mr Mike Offor, said that government should look at the futuristic importance of the road and dualise it now with minimal input, since an already established single lane is in place.
“It is good that government look at the direction of dualising the road, especially with the rate increase in the number of plying the road and lots of developing communities linking the road,’’ Offor said. (NAN)
