Julius Berger weighs bridge or culvert for failed Delta road

Julius Berger Nigeria Plc has begun emergency work on a collapsed section of the East-West Road at Agbarho in Delta State, while assessing whether a mini-bridge or a multi-cell culvert will provide the permanent repair. The company’s regional manager, Fredrick Wieser, disclosed the plan on Saturday during an inspection of the damaged section by Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori. Wieser said survey and hydraulic assessment work was already under way.

He said the final design would depend on the results of the hydraulic calculations. The structure could be a mini-bridge or a culvert with three or four cells, with the number of culverts determined by the volume and movement of water through the area. “At present, we are only doing emergency work to enable traffic to flow,” Wieser said, adding that the design team was working on the permanent intervention.

The road section collapsed after six days of heavy rainfall. Oborevwori said water from different parts of Agbarho had passed through the area in large quantities, creating hydraulic pressure that contributed to the failure. The governor said the state government was prepared to finance the permanent remedial works, but stressed that the immediate priority was to restore traffic.

He said Julius Berger had assured the government that the affected section would be temporarily restored to allow vehicles to use both lanes. Oborevwori said he contacted the construction company immediately after the collapse because of its experience in emergency interventions. He described the East-West Road as a major economic route connecting Delta with Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River states.

The governor also urged Nigerians not to politicise the disruption, saying attention should remain on supporting motorists and residents and finding a practical solution to the damage.