Travelers Stranded As Bridge Collapses In Taraba

Hundreds of passengers were stranded after a temporary bridge constructed by a private individual at the site of the Namnai Bridge collapsed.

The Namnai Bridge is located along the Jalingo-Wukari trunk A Federal Highway in Taraba State.

The original bridge had given way two years ago and is yet to be reconstructed.

It was gathered that the River Namnai overflowed its banks following heavy rainfall on Wednesday night, washing away the makeshift structure.

The temporary bridge had been serving as a critical passage for motorists due to the continued absence of a permanent replacement. The individual who constructed it reportedly charged between N3,000 and N20,000 per vehicle, with hundreds of vehicles, including trucks, using the route daily.

However, motorists were unable to cross at the site after the collapse of the temporary bridge, as rising water levels made the route impassable.

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A driver, Musa Adamu, told Daily Trust that hundreds of vehicles were forced to park on both sides of the river. He added that passengers now have to cross on foot and board other vehicles on the opposite side to continue their journeys.

Observations at the site indicate that reconstruction work on the collapsed bridge—awarded three months ago by the North East Development Commission—is progressing slowly.

The commission had earlier assured that the project would be completed by December this year.