Hope rises as NDDC intervenes to rescue dilapidated Aleto bridge

Hope rises for motorists plying the Aleto Eleme bridge as the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC has promised to rehabilitate the bridge which is at a verge of collapse.

The dilapidated state of the road has become a death trap to motorists plying the road.

The acting Managing Director of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Professor Nelson Brambaifa, has ordered an immediate rehabilitation of the bridge which has become a death trap to motorists plying the road.

Professor Bambraifa during a visit to the bridge on Wednesday directed the works department of the Commission to commence an immediate rehabilitation of the road to avert its immediate collapse.

He said that the road is very strategic saying that if it is allowed to collapse will cut off the state from other states.

Niger Delta Trust reports that hundreds of motorists that ply the east/west axis of Port Harcourt/ Eleme road are apprehensive over the deplorable state of Aleto bridge, which connects Port Harcout to Eleme, host of one of the nation’s refinery, port and a fertilizer company.

A motorist plying the road, John Uba, told our correspondent that high water currents had washed away the bridge’s substructure.

“The concrete reinforcement pillars that are holding the bridge are being washed away by erosion. The development is attributed to illegal dredging going under the bridge,” he said.

“Hundreds of heavy duty trucks going to Indorama Petrochemical to load fertilizer, which spend several hours atop the bridge, are also putting so much pressure on the bridge.’’

Another motorist, Lucky Amadi, blamed Idorama Petrochemical for not making adequate provision for garage where trucks coming to the company to pack.

He said hundreds of trucks loading fertilizers from the company packed their trucks on top of the bridge thereby putting the pillars holding the bridge under stress.