First Niger Bridge Closure Triggers Traffic Crisis as Repairs Begin

…Anambra CP deploys joint security team, commuters lament worsening Onitsha-Owerri road

By Cyprian Ebele, Onitsha

The temporary closure of the First Niger Bridge in Onitsha, Anambra State has triggered fresh traffic concerns as motorists and commuters were diverted to alternative routes following the commencement of emergency repairs on the ageing bridge.

The closure, which took effect from about 5:30am, was ordered by the Federal Government to enable emergency maintenance works on the strategic bridge, with the exercise scheduled to last for two weeks beginning September 7.

Heavy-duty construction equipment, including caterpillars, was deployed at the bridge, effectively preventing vehicular movement from the Onitsha end of Anambra State to the Asaba end of Delta State.

The development has placed additional pressure on alternative routes, particularly the Onitsha-Owerri Road and the Second Niger Bridge, as motorists traveling between Onitsha, Asaba and other parts of the Southeast and South-South grappled with increased travel difficulties.

Residents of Asaba who work or do business in Onitsha and their counterparts in Onitsha who regularly travel to Asaba expressed mixed feelings over the closure, with some supporting the repairs but lamenting the hardship caused by the diversion.

The situation has also renewed calls for urgent attention to the deplorable condition of the Onitsha-Owerri Road, particularly the stretch from Upper Iweka through Obosi to the Metallurgical Training Institute and Electrical Market areas.

Residents of Obosi, Oba, Nkpor, Oraifite and other adjoining communities have repeatedly complained about the poor condition of the road, which they say has become increasingly difficult and dangerous to navigate.

One of the residents, Okechukwu Ojukwu, urged the authorities to use the period of the bridge closure to address the challenges along the alternative routes.

“We have been calling the attention of the Anambra State Government to the Onitsha-Owerri Road. 

We hope that the concerned authorities will also dismantle the police and Navy checkpoints contributing to commuters’ suffering, especially now that it is one of the major roads people can use to access Onitsha,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Anambra State Commissioner of Police, CP Nnanna Oji Ama, has led heads of sister security agencies and other strategic commanders in an assessment of the bridge, adjoining areas and identified diversionary routes.

The assessment, according to the police command, was designed to identify possible security, traffic and public-safety challenges arising from the closure and put proactive measures in place to mitigate them.

The command has consequently deployed a Police-led Joint Security Team to strategic locations around the bridge, diversionary routes and other critical points.

The team is expected to maintain security, support traffic management and prevent criminal elements from taking advantage of the situation, while ensuring safe and orderly movement of motorists, commuters and pedestrians throughout the maintenance period.

The police also warned against traffic obstruction, congestion, harassment, opportunistic criminality and other security breaches that could compound the hardship associated with the temporary closure.