Pothole threatens motorists at Kabuga underpass

A giant pothole on top of Kabuga underpass in Kano metropolis has become a source of concern to motorists, traffic officials and other road users, Chronicle reports.

The road users told Chronicle that the pothole, which has been on top of the underpass along Gwarzo road towards the direction of Bayero University Kano,  was left unattended for almost three weeks and thereby causing them serious apprehension whenever they were navigating to come down from the underpass.

“I don’t find it easy to navigate the pothole as I usually forget it is still there.  I am calling on the authority to do something now as the pothole is expanding by the day,” Yahya Shehu, a motorist who frequents the road said.

Shehu added that something should be done quickly to prevent accident and maintain the underpass that had addressed complicated traffic situation the motorists used to experience at the place.

Danlami Sani, another road user, said that he was surprised that a small maintenance work could be allowed to degenerate to something that could threaten the existence of the underpass. He therefore called on the state road maintenance agency to ensure speedy rehabilitation of the underpass.

An official of Kano State Road Traffic Official Authority (KAROTA), who preferred to be anonymous, said the pothole was directly on the passage that carries water away from the under pass adding that trucks and trailer drivers who could not maneuver through the spot sometimes run into the land marks used to indicate the spot and in that way increases the size of the pothole.

He said officials of the state ministry of works were once at the underpass and started doing something to mark the size of the pothole but since that day they did not return to continue the work.

Public Relations Officer, Kano State Road Maintenance Agency (KARMA) said the delay in rehabilitating the underpass was as a result of many maintenance works the agency was doing in the state metropolis.

“It will soon be the turn of the Kabuga underpass as we have marked it for rehabilitation. At the moment we have 14 rehabilitation works in the state metropolis and we have completed most of them.  We may likely complete Kofar Fanfo tomorrow and from there we will move to the Kabuga under pass,” the spokesperson said.