A major gridlock on the Abuja-Kaduna highway yesterday caused many commuters travelling home for the Sallah holiday to spend hours on the road. It was gathered that some passengers spent about five to six hours on the journey which ordinarily should be about two and a half hours.

Daily Trust reports that the gridlock which began a few kilometers after Jere Junction in Kagarko Local Government of Kaduna State was caused by an obstruction from a fuel tanker which fell, according to the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).

However, the bad state of the road, which is the main road that connects the north to Abuja and other parts of the country, has led to many accidents leading to recurring gridlock along that axis, especially during festivities.

The road which is in a bad shape had forced vehicles to ply one-way as one of the sections was scraped to make way for new tar cover  before it was abandoned following the termination of the contract with the former company working on the road, Julius Berger Construction Company.

Speaking with Daily Trust, Ibrahim Muhammad, said he frustrated by the development.

“I left Abuja early to meet up with an appointment in Kaduna, but I ended up spending hours between Jere and Katari. The logjam caused a standstill on the road as no car was able to move.

“We were told it was caused by an accident but I couldn’t see any car that fell on the road to suggest it was the main cause of the accident”, he said.

Another traveller, Ismail Idris, who lamented the current state of the road, said gridlock is a constant feature along that road during festive period.

“But the annoying aspect of the situation is that you won’t see officials to control the traffic despite the fact that they know that there will a high volume of vehicles on the road. It is after people have spent hours that you will see FRSC officials.

“It took the intervention of military personnel stationed on the highway for the road become accessible to vehicular movements”, he said.

Fatima Adam, who was travelling to Kano, said she will get to her destination in the night as the six- hour journey to the state was elongated by the over three hours she spent on the spot.

“I was hoping I would be in Kano by 4pm, having left Abuja around 8 am, but it turned differently. We encountered the gridlock a few meters to Jere and it became a long wait. We were at one spot for over three hours before the soldiers came and cleared the road.

“We all had to come down from the vehicle for fresh air. Many travellers were stranded with some sitting on the floor. The situation was pathetic as children were crying under the sun, though it was not too hot.

“No one could tell the specific reason for the gridlock. I was also told that it was due to an accident, but I did not see any truck on the way”.

Similarly, Farouk Husain said he left Abuja in the afternoon, after he learnt of the gridlock, but still got caught up in it.

“I left Abuja by 2pm deliberately with the believe that the gridlock would have disappeared by then. I had to spend over an hour when I got to Jere, but after I left there, the road was clear throughout the rest of the journey”.

On the cause, he said, “I believe it’s the trailers on the road. They were too many and some of them also developed fault in the middle of the road. Ultimately, the deplorable state of the road cannot be excused too. That’s the genesis”

Gridlock caused by crash involving oil tanker – FRSC

But the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in a post on its official Facebook page said the snarl was caused by an obstruction on the road after an oil tanker fell.

“There is an obstruction as a result of a road traffic crash that involved a tanker at about 2 kilometres after Jere, by Katari village on the Abuja-Kaduna expressway. Motorists plying that route are advised to drive with caution and be lane disciplined. The Corps operatives are already at the scene making frantic efforts to remove all obstructions hindering free flow of traffic,” it said.

Another post around 4:20pm said the blockage was cleared after the intervention of its personnel and led by its Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed.

“The earlier obstruction that led to a massive gridlock in Katari village on the Abuja-Kaduna expressway has been removed by personnel of the Corps, led by the Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed himself and the road is now free for vehicular and human movement. Motorists plying that route are advised to drive with caution, comply with all road traffic regulations and be lane disciplined to avoid recreating another gridlock. The Corps operatives have been detailed accordingly to ensure sustained free flow of traffic on the route”, it said.

Recent gridlocks

Daily Trust reports that traffic jam on the highway is a recurring event, especially during festivals when many Nigerians travel.

The most recent was on December 23, when heavy-duty trucks broke down on  Maje in Suleja Local Government Area (LGA) to Izom in Gurara LGA of Niger State. While the accident involved four trucks the effect was felt in Minna-Suleja, Maje-Jere and Abuja-Kaduna highways.

Similarly, there was gridlock on the road in June last year when commuters were travelling for the Sallah festival.

The construction of the road which is currently in its seventh year has continued to face several delays that led to the termination of the former company contracted to do the work.

The contract which was initially given to Julius Berger Construction Company saw six years of work mostly completed along the Kaduna to Zaria and Kano axis, but very little was done along the Abuja to Kaduna axis.

The contract was eventually revoked from Berger, following cost dispute with the company seeking close to a trillion Naira which the government said it could not afford.

Before the revocation, the Minister of Works, David Umahi, had stated that 45km of the 165km road had been completed while 120km is being worked on.

While the job was later awarded to Infiouest (Nig.) Limited, the minister said the uncompleted section was broken into two parts and would be completed using concrete.

Umahi stated that the president had awarded the completion and reconstruction of “Section 1 and 3 for a total of 118km for a total sum of N252bn with 30 percent  paid to Infiouest. The concrete road has commenced, I have seen the quality and have no regret for recommending them to do this work. Also, we are flagging off the section 2, 82 kilometers, multiply by 2, 164 kilometers at a total cost of 525bn.”

Infiouest completed 6km in May

Meanwhile, the Minister of State for Works, Bello Muhammad Goronyo, last month, said approximately six kilometres, three  kilometres on each side had been completed using reinforced rigid concrete pavement on the phase 1 of the Abuja-Kaduna highway.

This followed the flag off of the road that was done in April and commissioned by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Speaking during an inspection tour, the minister expressed satisfaction with the progress and quality of work on the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Road (Zuba Section). He commended the contractor, Messrs Infiouest (Nig.) Limited for its professionalism and alignment with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

“The quality of work delivered so far reflects the president’s unwavering commitment to national development through robust infrastructure,” he stated.

In a statement by the ministry’s Director, Press and Public Relations, Mohammed Ahmed, the praised the dedication of the workforce and the use of modern equipment, saying, “The commitment of the workers is commendable. I salute their resilience and their support for Mr. president’s vision. “The minister emphasised that once completed, the road will reduce travel time, improve safety, curb insecurity, enhance trade, and create employment opportunities”, he said.

Regarding the quality of construction materials, the minister remarked, “What we are seeing here is superb. The reinforced rigid pavement is expected to last 50 to 100 years.”

Nigerian needs to construct more roads, improve infrastructure- Experts

Speaking with Daily Trust,  an expert in construction project management and design of civil engineering related projects, Engr. Bola Mudashiru, said the major cause of gridlock during festivities is lack of adequate infrastructure to cater for the large volume of people travelling during the period.

“If you at look at the current roads and infrastructure we have, it keeps improving day by day but not at par with its population. If you have the existing roads, and they are not expanded, or you don’t have them multiplied, of course, when you have higher traffic, it is expected that you have traffic congestion and it is not peculiar to Nigeria.

“Even in developed countries, you have such. When you have a rush in a particular season, things like this will happen. But what developed nations are doing is to create more ways of travelling, not necessarily roads.

“Most of our transportation, whether it is goods or persons, are through roads. It is those roads that cater for them in this region. If you have more rail, of course, you will have lesser people on the roads.

“If you have an improvement on your existing infrastructure, of course, you will lessen the burden of traffic within cities.

“If other state governments can do what Lagos is doing in terms of rail development, I think we would not have issues like this.

“The more roads you have; the more rail lines you have, the more boats you have or ferry on the waterways, then the less traffic congestion you have”, he said.

On his part, Engr. Abddullahi Abdulkaree, a civil engineer, noted that the over reliance on road networks with their poor infrastructures is a major impediment to free flow of traffic during festivals.

He urged the government to engage in quick restoration of major roads in the country and look for ways to expand then without burdening citizens.