Umahi slams tanker drivers for parking on East-West road carriageway

Umahi slams tanker drivers for parking on East-West road carriageway Dennis Naku, Port Harcourt The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has raised the alarm over the reckless habit of tanker and truck drivers parking on the completed carriageway of the Akpajo-Onne East-West Road section in Rivers State. He said such actions are capable of damaging the 15-kilometre dualised road, which has already cost the President Bola Tinubu administration billions of naira. Umahi handed down the warning during an inspection of the reconstructed Eleme section of the East-West Road and other federal roads in the state on Saturday. He fumed that the heavy-duty vehicles have turned the completed carriageways into makeshift parking lots, saying it is unacceptable. The minister said, “Let me appeal to the public. Yesterday, as I passed through this road, the entire completed section was completely blocked by tankers—fuel tankers parked right on the road.” He stressed that no road worldwide is engineered to bear prolonged static loads from such heavy vehicles. “They will destroy the road, and if they destroy it, it becomes difficult for the government to immediately return for reconstruction,” he warned. While noting that plans are underway to build a parking lot to accommodate heavy-duty vehicles, he said in the meantime, truck drivers should stop parking on the corridors, adding that cracks are already being noticed. “Even when we have a parking lot, they have to be disciplined to go to those parking lots. But they must not park on the road. It will destroy the road. I’m beginning to see some cracks on the road. It is not good,” he warned. Umahi lauded President Tinubu for his determination to see to the completion of the East-West Road, which has been abandoned for years by successive administrations, saying it underscores his love for the people of the Niger Delta region. He also commended the contracting firm, Reynolds Construction Company, for the quality of work being done. “We have been talking about this. Discipline is number one. Number two is for us to get a parking lot “Even when we have a parking lot, they have to be disciplined to go to those parking lots. But they must not park on the road. It will destroy the road. I’m beginning to see some cracks on the road. It is not good,” he warned. Umahi lauded President Tinubu for his determination to see to the completion of the East-West Road, which has been abandoned for years by successive administrations, saying it underscores his love for the people of the Niger Delta region. He also commended the contracting firm, Reynolds Construction Company, for the quality of work being done.