Completion of 2.3 km Osusu Road excites Aba residents
Residents of Aba, the industrial hub of Abia, have expressed joy over the successful rehabilitation of the 2.3km Osusu Road in Aba South Local Government Area.
Speaking in separate interviews with journalists in Aba on Wednesday, the people described the road as important and strategic in boosting socio-economic activities in the area.
A trader, Mrs Uju Anaba, said the completion of the road had brought huge relief to motorisits, tricycle operators and the entire residents.
Anaba said the deplorable state of the road crippled business activities in the area and hoped that business would soon pick up in the days ahead.
Another trader, Mr Kalu Obuba, said the road had been in a state of disrepair for over 10 years, causing untold hardship to the people.
Obuba said, “I am glad that the road has been fixed. This will allow our customers from Akwa Ibom and other places easy access to our shops.”
A businessman, Mr. Uchenna John, said he was forced to abandon the use of his car in preference for public transport for several years because of the dilapidation of the road.
He commended the government for rehabilitating the road, saying that he could now drive from his house to his shop.
According to Mr Ifeanyi Ogbu, a businessman, the road was abandoned and got so bad that people were cultivating crops on some portions.
Ogbu also said that a large portion of the road was waterlogged and overgrown with grass all year round.
He described people’s experience on the road as nightmarish, saying that government had given the residents of the area a sense of belonging by fixing the road.
Mr Patrick Igbonwa said he was particularly impressed with the use of rigid cement technology in the rehabilitation of the road to ensure its durability.
Igbonwa said that social and commercial activities had begun to return to the area after most businesses had gone moribund as a result of the bad state of the road.
Earlier, the Project Contractor, Mr Uzoma Onuoha, said that the road was an eyesore, having practically been turned into a dumpsite by residents.
“In fact, when we had the first meeting with the then Commissioner for Works, Chief Eziuche Ubani, we came to the road through Okigwe Road because Osusu Road was impassable.
“There were six illegal refuse dumpsites on the road and we started carting away the refuse.
“It took a lot of work and resources to clear the rubbish.
“Also, we excavated the soil up to two metres depth, before we got to the red mud and began to sand fill in order to get the concrete pavement done,” Onuoha said.
He said that the company was set to handover the road to government for inauguration, adding that it had a 25-year warranty
