Traffic Situation in Owerri

For years now, Owerri Metropolis, the Imo State capital, usually gets locked up any time it rains heavily in the last few weeks as traffic grinds to a complete halt with vehicles and passengers trapped for up to 6 hours in the unprecedented chaotic traffic jams.

Within such periods, vehicles can neither enter, nor leave the city, the consequence being that workers, traders and others get to their homes as late as 11P.M, although ordinarily, they would have been home before 7P.M.

Some people partly blamed the traffic-control agencies who always abandon beats any time it rains although some people defended the traffic-control personnel that they were not issued with rain coats and other accessories to perform under the rain.

Some people also blamed the government that took over from the colonial rulers for not making serous efforts to construct new access roads in to owerri today are the one constructed by Douglas (the famous colonial administrator). The only road constructed within Owerri is the one begun by the formal Owerri local government chairman, and since he left office, work on that road has been abandon but if the road which links Owerri recreation club from Orji had been completed, that it would have reduced the traffic on Okigwe road.

Some people where on the opinion that construction of a road from Agbala to Wetheral Road with a bridge across the Otamiri River would decongest Owerri- Aba road.
Some people where also on the opinion of rehabilitation of Emekuku, Umualum, and MCC road bypass to ease traffic on Umuahia/Mbise road. While some people also suggested that the situation on Orlu/Amakohia/akwakuma road would improve, once the ongoing work on shoe-industry, Ihitte Mberi Ubomiri road is completed.