Some motorists and commuters plying the ever-busy Bauchi-Gombe Road, linking the North-East states, have cried out over the collapse of the Kalajanga Bridge in Bara Village, Kirfi Local Government Area of Bauchi State.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the bridge collapse was first noticed on Saturday morning.
A cross-section of the commuters, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Bauchi on Monday, expressed concern over the unfortunate incident.
They said that the persistent collapse of bridges and culverts on the highway posed serious impediment to smooth transportation of people and goods.
A commuter, Mr Michael Hussaini, expressed dissatisfaction over “the lack of maintenance on the road” by the relevant agencies of government.
Hussaini said the latest incident reportedly occurred as a result of torrential rain in the last few days in the area.
“This inflicts serious hardship on passengers, who wish to travel to Gombe, Maiduguri, Yola and Taraba States.
“Commuters are paying double of what they are supposed to pay in this hardship as transport fare,” he said.
Another commuter, Maliki Abubakar, said that some of the commuters had to cancel their trips upon getting to the bridge, which had become a dead end.
“Some have to go through Dukku in Gombe State, which is an expensive and longer route to Bauchi, Jos, Abuja and other parts of the country,” he said.
A motorists, Salihu Aliyu, regretted that although the bridge caved in three times last year, no serious work was done to forestall a recurrence.
Aliyu said that the bridge was only “partly mended with pieces of rocks” which, he said, provided temporary relief.
Meanwhile, Gov. Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State has appealed to the Federal Government to find a permanent solution to the perennial problem on the highway.
The governor in a recent remark concerning the state of the road urged motorists “to bear with the situation”, promising to partner with the Federal Government to address the problem.
Also, Anaco Nigeria Limited, which is handling the bridge, assured the people that it would provide an alternative road in the next few days before the start of the main project. (NAN)
