Joyous traders and residents have relocated to the project site ahead of formal commissioning of the newly reconstructed Port Harcourt road, Aba, Abia state.
The road which was completed last April, ahead of an earlier scheduled commissioning date in May, is now a beehive of commercial activities with many residents and traders earlier displaced by construction works, now relocating to the area for business activities.
Speaking during the flag-off, Governor Alex Otti said he was glad that his administration is taking yet another strategic step in fulfilling one of his major campaign promises which is to permanently break the jinx of Port Harcourt road, Aba.
A press statement issued by the media unit of the construction giant said, last week, people in the area were ecstatic when asked to comment on the new look of Port Harcourt road.
An Okada rider, who gave his name as Innocent, congratulated the state governor for the will to commission a company like Julius Berger to help to reconstruct Port Harcourt road.
“My name is Innocent a.k.a Fuji Kpokirikpo Nwaaba. Alex Otti the governor of Abia state is our number one citizen in this country.
“Over 28 years now, we have been patrolling around this area, none of the past governors bothered to make this road look like this, and now within a few months, our governor has done this for us,” he said.
Governor Alex Otti had flagged off the reconstruction of the perennially dilapidated 6.7 kilometres of Port Harcourt road, Aba.
The road, which was one of the most deplorable federal roads in the state, was awarded to acclaimed engineering construction company, Julius Berger at the rate of N30 billion, with an official completion date of 18 months.
According to the specifications, Julius Berger was expected to reconstruct the road as well as build a flood control mechanism within the area, which is part of the flood-ravaged Uratta, Ohabiam and Ndiegoro flood-prone area.