The condition of Itu- Calabar Highway, the major link between Akwa Ibom and Cross River States has worsened following the continuing downpour, forcing the partial closure of a section of the road by the Akwa Ibom State government.
This is as controversy continues to trail the award of contract for the construction of the road, with federal lawmakers alleging that only a section of the road was covered in the contract.
Gully erosion on the highway, near the Akwa Ibom broadcasting station at Ntak Inyang, in Itu local government area, is now devastating, almost completely cutting the road into two, Ephraim Inyangeyen, Akwa Ibom State commissioner for works said in a statement, announcing the closure of the road.
According to him, the closure of the road is informed by the need to protect lives and property, and will enable the reconstruction of the road while motorists and other road users have been advised to make use of alternative routes.
Speaking on a radio programme, Aniekan Umanah-pdp, representing Abak federal constituency in the House of Representatives, said only a section of the road was captured in the contract for the construction of the Itu/ikot Ekpene-calabar dual carriage highway.
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Umanah, who is a member of the house adhoc committee, said the project covered 87km but the contractor started the construction at the middle of the road in Ibion Ibom local government area of Akwa Ibom State.
“Dualisation to Oku Iboku junction is 12.2 km. They left it at that point with nothing except bush and swamp for 21.9 km which is from the junction to the power plant in Odukpani local government area of Cross River State.
“How do you dualise the middle of a bush and middle of a swamp with N54.1 billion? Does it make any sense,’’ he asked.
It was gathered that out of the proposed 87km road, only 21.9 km was awarded for construction at a cost of N54 billion with 65.1km not covered in the contract.
A breakdown of the project showed that from Ikot Ekpene to Idedep in Ibiono Ibom, about 36.1km had been awarded while the portion from Ididep to Ayadehe bridge, about 12.2 km was also covered in the contract.
However, according to checks, from the Ayadehe bridge to the power plant in Odukpani local government area of Cross River, about 29 km was not awarded while the remaining portion from the power plant to Odukpani junction, about 9.7 km had been awarded.
Before the Itu-calabar highway became the key link road between the two states, the Oron beach was the alternative route to Calabar with the use of ferry boats which helped to drive business activities around the Oron beach.
The ferries which were run by the Inland Waterways Authority had since been abandoned.
