40 Year Old Bridge Collapses In Ebonyi

A 40-year old bridge, known as
Eguhuo bridge in Agba, Ishiellu
Local Government Area of Ebonyi,
caved in on Wednesday after a heavy downpour.
According to reports, the rainfall paralysed
economic activities in the area as vehicles could
not gain access to communities in the area.
The affected communities are Ogboji, Eguhuo,
Eguotu, Eguogiji and Onunweke.
A representative of the area in the state
assembly, Julius Nworkpor said that the situation
had made it impossible for the people to gain
access to their communities with vehicles.
"Before this unfortunate situation, a journey to
Enugu State from the area took about 30 minutes
but now its lasts for some hours. Indigenes of the
area who wish to access their communities from
Abakaliki now have to get to Enugu through the
Enugu-Abakaliki expressway and then take Abani
to reach the place," he said.
Nwokpor said this was the second time the
bridge was caving-in in three years. He urged the
people to exercise patience, adding that the
government would expedite action on the new
bridge it was constructing beside the failed one.
Conducting journalists and a team of engineers
round the bridge, the state's Commissioner for
Works and Transport, Chukwuma Nwandugo, said
the bridge caved-in due to heavy traffic.
"The pressure weakened the bridge and forced the
abutment to cut off from the metal reinforcement.
The unity bridge beside it could have been
completed before now, but it was discovered it
was poorly designed and could pose serious
threat to users," he said.