Commuters and motorists were stranded on Tuesday after a bridge at Chukuku village along the Kuje-Gwagwalada road collapsed following a heavy downpour.
Abuja Metro observed that vehicles travelling between Gwagwalada and Kuje were unable to pass, leaving passengers, as well as residents of Chukuku and neighbouring Kiyi village, cut off.
Construction workers handling the dualisation of the road were seen at the site using an excavator to fill part of the collapsed section with laterite to enable motorists to manoeuvre through, while work also continued on a new bridge.
Motorcycle (okada) riders and tricycle operators were forced to drop passengers at the scene, leaving many commuters to continue their journeys on foot.
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Some travellers, unable to secure alternative transport, trekked long distances, while several motorists travelling from Kuje towards Gwagwalada turned back.
Expressing frustration, some commuters blamed the situation on poor infrastructure.
Mrs Agnes James, a civil servant who works at Gwagwalada Township Clinic but resides in Chukuku village, said she had to cross the river on foot before continuing her journey.
"I had to cross the river and then board a bike to Gwagwalada before getting to my workplace," she said.
Another resident, Garba Ibrahim, attributed the collapse to a weak structural foundation, noting that erosion had created a deep gully that split the road into two, cutting off access for residents and motorists.
In a related development, hundreds of commuters were also stranded for hours along the Nyanya-Keffi road following a fallen truck that blocked access to the Abuja city centre.
Several people, mostly civil servants and private workers, were seen at bus stops as there were limited vehicles plying the route due to the chaotic traffic situation.
A commuter, Reuben Daniel, expressed frustration over the development, saying he spent over an hour at the Nyanya bus stop without getting a vehicle to his place of work.
He also lamented that the few commercial vehicles operating charged exorbitant fares, almost triple the usual rates.
"The situation is very frustrating. I spent over one hour waiting to get a vehicle to Wuse. You can imagine that drivers are charging N2,000 from here to Wuse, which was previously N800 to N1,000. This is outrageous," he said.
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Also speaking, Ahmed Aliyu, a businessman, said the chaotic situation was compounded by ongoing construction work along the Abuja-Keffi Road.
