Motorists cry for help as Kungana bridge in Taraba collapses

Motorists and commuters plying the Bali-Takum Road, Taraba State, on Monday, lamented the collapse of the Kungana Bridge, which they said had become a death trap.

The motorists, in an interview with our correspondent, urged the Federal Government to fix the bridge on time.

When our correspondent visited the area, locals were seen controlling traffic on the failed portion of the bridge.

A resident, Musa Ayuba, who was assisting in directing traffic, appealed to the authorities to urgently address the situation.

He said, “This bridge started failing close to two months ago and nothing was done until it got this bad.

“Two weeks ago, a car had an accident here and many people were injured. As you can see, a long stretch of the bridge has been completely washed off following a downpour.”

A motorist, Tyodoo Adem, called on the Federal Government to speed up action to save the bridge from total collapse.

An official of the Federal Road Maintenance Agency in Taraba State, Minkailu Ibrahim, said the agency had sent a proposal to its headquarters regarding the situation.

“Our contractor is already on the ground, but the rains must stop before any major repairs can be carried out on the bridge. In the interim, we have been doing minor repair works on the bridge,” he added.