Commuters and motorists were stranded on Tuesday after a section of the East-West Road at Uvwiama/Orido Junction, along the Agbarho-Ughelli Highway at Agbarho in Delta State, collapsed following days of heavy rainfall and flooding.
The road failure disrupted traffic on the major route linking Delta State with Bayelsa and other parts of the South-South, leaving motorists stranded and forcing some travellers to seek longer alternative routes.
The affected section had begun experiencing problems on Monday evening after a fuel tanker reportedly fell on part of the already weakened road.
The situation worsened on Tuesday morning as continued rainfall and rising floodwaters caused the entire lane to collapse.
As of 3pm on Tuesday, efforts were ongoing to remove the tanker from the affected section, while motorists, residents and other onlookers gathered around the scene.
Policemen were also deployed at strategic points to control traffic and prevent further congestion.
There were fears among road users that the remaining usable lane could also collapse if the flooding continued.
Jacob, a stranded motorist, told journalists, “We are seriously worried because only one lane is still passable, and the traffic is already building up. If this remaining lane fails, this road will be completely cut off.”
Another road user blamed the situation on inadequate drainage, saying the drainage system appeared incapable of handling the volume of water generated by the prolonged rainfall.
“This water has nowhere to go. The drainage is not enough for the volume of water we are seeing. Government needs to act quickly before we have a major disaster,” he said.
Residents and motorists appealed to the relevant authorities to urgently intervene, warning that continued use of the remaining lane could trigger further damage and potentially cut off the busy route completely.
Vehicles heading towards Bayelsa and other South-South states were reportedly diverted to longer alternative routes, while those still using the East-West Road faced heavy congestion on the only passable lane.
A food seller, however, claimed that an Okada rider narrowly escaped falling into the moving floodwater around the failed section on Tuesday afternoon.
Motorists, commercial transport operators and other road users were advised to exercise extreme caution and avoid the collapsed portion until the area is assessed and declared safe.
Meanwhile, the ravaging flood continued on Tuesday as more communities in Agbarho fell to rising waters as Oviri, Ovwiama, Uvwiamuge, and others were mostly hit by the development.
The situation remains similar with Olomu in Ughelli South local government area as Oviri-Olomu, Okpare, Ogoni, Umolo and others were also heavily flooded after torrential downpour.
