Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, at the weekend, lamented the collapse of the Umuaro-Ekwereazu-Nto Edino road that was constructed from Obingwa Council to link neighbouring Akwa Ibom State.

He stated this while commissioning the Umuaro-Umuopara-Amano road, explaining that the state government built the road to provide what he described as a strategic link between Abia and Akwa Ibom states.

Ikpeazu said the road was originally designed to be a Trunk C road for light vehicles and create an alternative route to the collapsed and abandoned Aba-Ikot Ekpene federal highway.

“The collapsed road, unfortunately became the only viable route for heavy-duty and dead weight vehicles, particularly those conveying cement from Akwa Ibom State through Aba to other parts of the country.

“Consequently, the road caved in due to massive pressure of the heavy-duty vehicles that ply it daily in their hundreds,” he said.

Describing the road as crucial to the economic development of Abia State, especially the Aba area, he noted that till date and even with some portions of it still in a bad shape, it remained the only link through which vehicles can get to Ikot- Ekpene from Aba within 45 minutes.

He pledged to commence rehabilitation of the road to suit the volume and heavy traffic on it, adding that appropriate soil tests had been conducted and proper design concluded.

“A contractor will return to rebuild the road to the standard to withstand heavy traffic because the road has served our people and our economy creditably in the last couple of years. As such, it would not be abandoned under any circumstances whatsoever,” the governor stressed.