MOTORISTS and com­muters were stranded yesterday at Umunya, in Anambra State following total collapse of Odumo­du-Umunya Road portion of Awka-Onitsha Express­way.

Some vehicles were trapped in the gullies on the road after a heavy downpour which lasted three days.

The situation made motorists traveling from Enugu, Awka, Delta, Be­nin to Lagos and Onitsha to Enugu and other states to make U-turn and divert to Awka-Nkpor-Onitsha old road as an alternative route to their destina­tions.

The Enugu-Onitsha Expressway has been a deathtrap and in deplor­able condition over the years.

The Enugu axis of the expressway has since been abandoned by com­muters and motorists, who resorted to Enugu- Ude-Orji River Old Road, which is already also on the verge of collapse.

A commercial driver who spoke to Daily Sun, Mr. Okey Nnenanya la­mented the hardship the deplorable road had caused them over the years, saying it has be­come worse due to com­plete collapse of the road.

He appealed to the Federal Government to rehabilitate the road for motorists and other road users.

A commuter, Mrs. Ada Agbala said she was travel­ing to Lagos from Enugu and was trapped at the

portion where the road was cut-off.

“This road is very bad; I don’t know whether our leaders do not pass through this road. Look at my cloth; I am traveling to Lagos but, look how I am. Everybody in the bus had to come down inside this mud and cross over to the other side of the road. It is terrible. If the Federal Government has rejected us, the state government should do the road for the benefit of travellers,” she lamented.