Two Collapsed Bridges Cripple Business In Taraba
The popular Bridge along Jalingo-Bali Road in Taraba has also collapsed due to massive flood.
This comes barely two days after the flood washed away the Jalingo-Wukari Bridge which links the state capital to other parts of southern Nigeria at Namna.
It was gathered that business activities are paralysed and movement truncated as commuters and travellers had to use alternative routes to get to their destinations.
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Road users at Mayo-Kham in Bali Local Government area of the state have reverted to ancient colonial bridges as alternatives to the broken 45-year-old bridge, 88.5 kilometres away from Jalingo. However, trucks and other heavy duty and articulated vehicles are unable to use the alternatives as they are weak and narrow.
The development has also made inaccessible, vital roads linking several communities including Gembu in Sardauna Local Government, Baisa in Kurmi Local Government, Gashaka Local Government Council and Takum Local Government areas.
Alhaji Yakubu Mohammed, the controller, federal ministry of works in Taraba State told BusinessDay that there had not been early signs of the disaster.
He however, called for an emergency measure, either by community efforts or any form of intervention to enable movement across the bridge.
The controller further advised the public to avoid using the bridge, pending when it would be fixed. He assured the public that he would make his report to the relevant authorities for quick intervention.
Also some persons from the surrounding communities of Namnai’s collapsed bridge, located about 45 km away from Jalingo along Wukari Road who spoke with our correspondent, passionately called on the state government to, as a matter of urgency, address the problem.
According to them, the collapse of the two bridges did not only hinder movement, but directly impacts negatively on their businesses and farming activities as well.
“Transporting our farm products to the nearby markets is no doubt affected. Our business activities are crippled. As we speak, travellers from Eastern Nigeria and Benue including Wukari cannot pass to Jalingo. They follow through Garba Chede to Jalingo. We want to appeal that government should come to our aid.” one of the local farmers said.
Meanwhile, the government of Taraba State, through Aminu Alkali, the deputy hovernor, has gone on an assessment tour to the scenes of the collapsed bridges and promised that temporary measures would be taking immediately to enhance movement even as he pledged that reconstruction work would soon commenced on the collapsed bridges soon.
