2km of Chaos: Asaba-Onitsha Expressway Punishes Road Users, Businesses

A roughly two-kilometer section of the Asaba-Onitsha Expressway in Nigeria has become a daily ordeal for motorists, businesses, and commuters, characterized by severe road deterioration and resulting chaos.

The stretch from Okwe Junction to the New Building Materials Market has devolved into a corridor of collapsed road portions, muddy shoulders, stagnant water, and shattered lanes. This forces vehicles, including cars, buses, and heavy-duty trucks, into a desperate struggle for space, particularly after the Koka Flyover where repairs are concentrated on only one lane.

Motorists report that the apparent absence of workers on-site for weeks has exacerbated the problem. "So often, when heavy trucks and large buses jam the only motorable lane to and fro, you have a chaos, almost every hour of the day," said minibus driver Lucky Benson. The constant gridlock makes the journey a test of patience and vehicle endurance.

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So often, when heavy trucks and large buses jam the only motorable lane to and fro, you have a chaos, almost every hour of the day.

The economic impact is significant, with businesses like hotels and car wash operators along the affected route suffering as motorists increasingly avoid the area. Commuters, such as Delta civil servant Ifeanyi Anthony, describe spending hours navigating failed road sections, citing specific instances of being stuck for over two hours just to pass through short distances.

To escape the collapsed sections, motorists are diverting through Olona-Iselu and Iselu-Uku, placing additional pressure on these adjoining roads. The uncompleted Okpanam bypass, intended to alleviate traffic on the main expressway and connect to the Second Niger Bridge, has further compounded the burden. For everyone involved, this two-kilometer stretch represents more than just a bad road; it is a daily human and economic crisis.

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Last week on our coming to Agbor from Asaba, we spent over two hours just to pass through Ubulu-Okiti. We also got stuck at Igbodo, Ogwashi-Uku junction.