Adeyemi Raheem, Ayomide Kareem
MOTORISTS and commuters are currently groaning over the hardship they are facing as a result of the slow pace in the construction of Ojutu bridge in Ilobu, Irepodun local government area of the State of Osun.
The under construction Ojutu bridge is on the main road leading to Ilobu, Ifon, Erin-Osun, Ogbomoso and other communities.
OSUN DEFENDER noted that the construction of the bridge started in March 2017 and has been foot-dragging since.
There was gridlock on the old bridge for about two hours on Wednesday, a situation that infuriated commuters, motorists and residents of the area who were stuck on the road.
Some of the roads users were openly cursing the government for subjecting them to hardship based on the failure to complete the construction of the bridge on time.
Traffic jam is a usual occurrence on the Ojutu bridge as the old bridge could no longer accommodate the large number of vehicles passing through the road.
Speaking with the medium on Wednesday, one of the commuters, Prince Sola Adegoke, lamented that the bridge has been causing untold hardship to motorists and commuters.
Adegoke said: “The slow pace of the construction of the bridge is affecting us a lot. We have been in this traffic jam for more than an hour, and it is a regular occurrence. The government should hurry up the construction of the bridge. This bridge has been under construction for the past five years. The project is long overdue, they are inconveniencing us.”
A trader at Ifon market, Mrs. Rebecca Afolabi, lamented that the regular traffic jam on the road always has negative effect on her business and that of others.
Afolabi stated that when traders spend about two hours on the road, it will definitely affect their sales on that particular day, saying that it was what they experience as a result of the slow pace of the Ojutu bridge construction.
She said: “The traffic jam is not good for we traders. It always has negative effect on us. If we don’t get to the market on time, our customers will go elsewhere to buy whatever they need.
“We have been spending more than an hour here and the vehicles are not moving. This is what we experience regularly on this bridge.
“If the government is not ready for the completion of the new bridge, they should at least help us to patch the potholes on the old one we are using. This hardship is too much for us.”
A minibus driver, Mr. Kola Ayinla, was full of anger while speaking with OSUN DEFENDER. He lamented that the poor condition of the road has damaged his vehicle more than four times.
Ayinla called on the government to quickly complete the construction of the bridge, saying that it is taking more than required time.
He said: “We want the government to repair the road, and they should be quick with the construction of the bridge. If they know they can’t do that, they should at least repair this one we are using that is full of potholes, so that vehicles can move smoothly.”
