Traffic congestion on the Benin-Agbor Road has started to ease, about one week after the Minister of Works, David Umahi, inspected the troubled highway.
The improvement has brought some relief to motorists, particularly around the bypass axis, where heavy gridlock had previously caused significant delays for road users.
However, several damaged sections of the road remain, forcing motorists to navigate uneven and severely degraded portions of the highway.
The concessionaire, Benin-Asaba Expressway Concession Company (BAECC), has begun remedial works on some of the failed sections, helping to improve traffic flow along the route.
Speaking on the development, Chairman of the Ikpoba-Okha Youth Forum, Kingsley Osemwengie, said the situation had improved considerably compared with the previous week, when motorists reportedly spent hours trapped in traffic.
He, however, noted that the reduction in congestion does not mean the road’s underlying challenges have been resolved, as several bad spots continue to make movement difficult.
Osemwengie called for sustained intervention on the affected sections and urged the concessionaire to take advantage of the subsiding rains to begin permanent construction works instead of depending mainly on temporary repairs.
Another major concern is the volume of dust generated by vehicles travelling through the damaged portions of the highway.
As motorists move across the unpaved sections, large clouds of dust are raised, reducing visibility and affecting the surrounding environment. The dust also exposes motorists, commuters and residents living along the road to potential health hazards.
Although traffic conditions have improved significantly following the Minister’s inspection and the commencement of remedial works, road users maintain that the continued presence of damaged sections means the Benin-Agbor Road still requires urgent and permanent attention.
