Oborevwori Orders Permanent Solution to East-West Road Washout at Agbarho

Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, has ordered a permanent solution to the washed-out section of the East-West Road at Agbarho, Ughelli North Local Government Area, following days of heavy rainfall.

Oborevwori gave the directive on Saturday during an inspection of the damaged section of the major South-South highway, which connects Delta State with Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River states.

The Governor, who was accompanied by Julius Berger Nigeria Plc Regional Manager, Fredrick Wieser; Chairman of Ughelli North Local Government Council, Olorogun Jaro Egbo; Executive Director of NEXIM Bank, Hon. Stella Okotete, among others, commended Julius Berger for its prompt response to the road failure.

According to Oborevwori, the affected section collapsed after about six consecutive days of torrential rainfall, making urgent intervention necessary to restore traffic and reduce hardship for motorists and residents.

“The state government is ready to fund the permanent remedial works,” Oborevwori said.

The Governor explained that large volumes of stormwater from different parts of Agbarho passed through the affected section, creating hydraulic pressure that contributed to the road failure.

He said Julius Berger had commenced technical and hydraulic assessments to determine the most suitable permanent solution, which could involve constructing a mini-bridge or multi-cell culvert.

Oborevwori stressed that the intervention must go beyond temporary repairs, saying the permanent structure must be designed to safely accommodate the volume of water flowing through the area.

Julius Berger said emergency works were already ongoing to restore traffic, while its design team conducts surveys and hydraulic calculations for the permanent solution.

Wieser explained that the final design would determine whether the location requires a mini-bridge or a three- or four-cell culvert.

The Governor said the immediate priority was to reopen the road to traffic while the permanent solution was being developed.

He also appealed to Nigerians not to politicise the incident, urging stakeholders to focus on finding solutions to challenges affecting motorists, residents and businesses.

Describing the East-West Road as a critical economic artery in the South-South, Oborevwori said its accessibility was essential to the movement of people and goods across the region.

The intervention is expected to provide immediate relief to road users while paving the way for a permanent engineering solution to the recurring drainage and washout challenge at Agbarho.