It’s that time of the year again the “Yuletide season”. To ease traffic, most people will be traveling home for the Christmas and new year celebrations. The Federal Government has decided to open the second Niger Bridge, which has been almost completed. The situation of Nigerian roads prompted the Federal Government to make this decision.
As announced by Jimoh Olawale, the federal controller of works in Delta, the Niger Bridge will be open on Dec 15. However, he said that the bridge will only be open for 30 days.
According to him, travelers find it difficult to travel during the Christmas season due to traffic congestion. They are currently working with the Federal Road Safety Corps to ensure free movement and easy access to roads considering the state of Nigerian roads.
Olawale said, “As we know, during the Christmas celebration, commuters suffer hardship accessing the old Niger Bridge due to traffic jams, but with this arrangement, traffic congestion on Asaba-Benin Expressway will ease.
“We have notified the state government of this arrangement and we are working with the Federal Road Safety Corps to ensure a hitch-free vehicular movement.
“Motorists going towards Owerri direction would divert through the access road near the old Niger Bridge to the new bridge.
This is a very good innovation by the Federal Government as accident rates will reduce since there are other roads to pass. During the Yuletide season, the roads are always congested, and people spend hours on the road just because there is no free access. Opening other channels for vehicles to pass will make it easier for vehicle owners and those making use of public transport to get home