Our Correspondent|15 October 2017
A cross section of residents in Cross River have called on the state and federal governments to urgently intervene in the Biase section of the Calabar-Ikom federal highway which is almost collapsing due to the threatening gully site.
The residents, who spoke with NAN at separate interviews at Iwuru community, said that if nothing urgent was done to rehabilitate the road, both Central and Northern Cross River will entirely be cut-off from Calabar.
Mr Ogbor Ogbor, a lawmaker representing Biase state Constituency in the Cross River House of Assembly, told NAN that the bad portion was now a dead trap to motorists and residents in the area.
Ogbor called on the federal and state governments, the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs and the Niger Delta Development Commission and all the relevant agencies concerned to come to intervene.
'My impression about this road is depressed. This portion of the road is a time bomb waiting to detonate; and when that happens, it will be too dangerous.
'This is the only major road that leads Cross River South to the Central and Northern part.
'It is very clear that very soon, all these heavy vehicles passing with fuel and food products will cease to pass through this road.
'It is very clear that this thin layer that is remaining will soon collapse. If you look deep, you will see that the force of water is eating the inside of the gully.
'The economy and social damage that this road will cause when it finally collapses will be enormous”, he said.
NAN reports that 100 metres from the bad spot is the Mary Immaculate Girls Juniorate secondary school and St. Dennis primary school Iwuru, and the road is the only access way to both schools.
A motorist, Mr Paul Agbor, said that all the private and commercial vehicles plying the road were in danger, adding that the bad spot requires the attention of the government.
'We should imagine a situation where this road will be cut into two; as it would soon be if nothing is done to ease the situation.
'As you can see, even where we are standing right now is not safe because nobody knows when this remain layer will cut-off', he lamented.
Other motorists and residents who spoke to NAN, appealed to the relevant government agencies to urgently intervene by rehabilitating the bad spot.
An official from the office of the Controller of Works in Cross River, who spoke to NAN under the condition of anonymity, said that the office had carried out a detailed assessment of the road.
'We are aware of the bad spot in Iwuru community in Biase, we have forwarded all our reports and assessment to our head office in Abuja.
`Any moment from now; we may direct any nearby contractor to intervene in the road'.
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