Thousands of commuters and motorists were left stranded for hours on Tuesday night after a faulty articulated trailer blocked the Uduere Street diversion route in Ughelli, causing a massive traffic gridlock that crippled movement along the East-West Road corridor.
As of 8:30 p.m., the traffic congestion had stretched from Otovwodo Roundabout to beyond the NNPC Roundabout along Isoko Road, while on the opposite axis vehicles were backed up from Agbarha Junction to the Matrix Filling Station on the East-West Road.
The situation forced many passengers travelling from Lagos to Port Harcourt and other destinations in the South-South to abandon their commercial vehicles and trek long distances across the highway in search of alternative transport to continue their journeys.
Several commuters and drivers who spoke with The Blaze expressed frustration over the prolonged delay, lamenting the hardship caused by the obstruction and expressing fears that they might not reach their destinations on schedule.
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The latest gridlock came amid two separate trailer accidents recorded around the Otovwodo Flyover earlier on Tuesday, further heightening concerns over the condition of access roads surrounding the multi-billion-naira interchange in Ughelli, headquarters of Ughelli North Local Government Area.
One of the articulated trucks reportedly toppled near the Otovwodo Flyover, while another was involved in an accident at Palace Junction, disrupting vehicular movement along the busy route linking Delta State with Bayelsa and Rivers states.
The incidents have reignited public debate over the effectiveness of the flyover project, with many residents arguing that the supporting road infrastructure has failed to adequately accommodate heavy-duty vehicles.
Motorists maintained that while the flyover itself has been completed, the surrounding access roads have either deteriorated or remain inadequate, resulting in persistent traffic bottlenecks and increasing the risk of accidents.
Particular attention has again been drawn to the condition of the Oviri-Ogor Road, a major link connecting the East-West Road to the Port Harcourt axis.
Residents described the road as being in a deplorable condition despite rehabilitation works carried out in the past, alleging that the repairs lasted less than six months before the road failed again.
Some residents also recalled a previous incident in which a pregnant woman reportedly lost a six-month pregnancy after enduring the rough condition of the road, describing the development as tragic and calling for urgent government intervention to prevent further hardship.
As of the time of filing this report, authorities had yet to issue an official statement on the circumstances surrounding the trailer accidents, while it remained unclear whether there were casualties or injuries.
Residents and road users have renewed calls on the Delta State Government to urgently rehabilitate the Oviri-Ogor Road and other critical access roads around the Otovwodo Flyover to ease traffic congestion, improve connectivity and enhance the safety of motorists and commuters using the busy transport corridor.
